Human rights lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa on Thursday berated security agents for “provoking” peaceful #EndBadGovernance protesters across the country.
In a statement, the lawyer to one of the organisers of the protests The Take It Back Movement, warned that confrontation by security agents could escalate the protests and cautioned the men in uniform to be professional.
He saluted the courage of Nigerians who came out for the demonstrations. “Despite the threats, intimidation and harassment by authorities of the ruling government and their security apparatus, the people came out in their large numbers to speak against the suffering, hunger and poverty imposed on them by the administration of President Tinubu,” he said.
“The situation has so far been largely peaceful, especially in Lagos and Abuja. Pockets of skirmishes in some parts of the nation were said to be due mainly to the provocation of the security agencies. Notwithstanding that, the protests were largely successful, well coordinated and on target.”
‘Avoid Bloodshed’
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria appealed to all security and law enforcement agencies to follow acceptable standards of handling civil protests to avoid bloodshed or loss of lives.
“The responsibility imposed upon all security agencies is to provide coverage for the peaceful protesters and to avoid all provocative actions that may escalate into uncomfortable fracas,” he said.
Adegboruwa urged the organisers of the protests to remain peaceful and refrain from all actions that may lead to violence or a breakdown of law and order.
He said the “government should urgently identify and hold accountable any police or law enforcement officer that may have been found culpable to violate the rights of the peaceful protesters, especially in locations where it has been reported that protesters were wounded and shot dead”.
‘Govt Should Facilitate Dialogue’
By now, I expect that the federal and state governments would have set up the machineries for genuine and meaningful dialogue with the protesters, with a view to addressing the issues raised in their demands.
It will be the height of leadership insensitivity for the governing to remain silent and pretend that all is well.
Propagated on social media, the nationwide protests against economic hardship started on Thursday, August 1, 2024, and is scheduled to stretch till August 10 across all states of the Federation as well as the nation’s capital Abuja.
Prices of food and basic commodities have gone through the roof in the last months, as Nigerians battle one of the country’s worst inflation rates and economic crises sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.
The police, military and the Department of State Services had warned against Kenya-styled protests. Politicians, who surmised that the planned rallies might end up like the EndSARS demonstrations of October 2020, have continued to appeal to youths to shelve the planned rallies but the young people have been unfazed.