Nigeria Police on Tuesday warned on the display of foreign flags at the venue of the protests as normalcy was restored to the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota in Lagos as the organisers of the End Bad Governance protest, gave a breather for one day with a promise to reconvene on Wednesday, August 7, 2024. In
Nigeria Police on Tuesday warned on the display of foreign flags at the venue of the protests as normalcy was restored to the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota in Lagos as the organisers of the End Bad Governance protest, gave a breather for one day with a promise to reconvene on Wednesday, August 7, 2024.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Nigeria Police warned against the display of foreign flags during protests and those calling for a military takeover, categorizing such actions as treasonable felonies under Nigerian law. The statement follows a wave of violent protests, particularly in Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina States, where protesters brandished foreign flags.
According to the Police, the “ongoing investigations reveal that protest organizers in the states mentioned above are luring innocent children into participating in these unpatriotic and criminal acts. Over ninety suspects have been arrested, including tailors who sewed the flags and their sponsors. Efforts are underway to apprehend others who sponsored the production of the flags and fuelled these treasonable acts.
“The display of foreign flags and calls for a military takeover constitutes a clear treasonable offense, revealing the motives of protest organizers to destabilize Nigeria’s democratic government. This aligns with actionable intelligence on the tactics of fifth columnists and non-state actors exploiting economic hardship protests to further their nefarious goals.
“Tensions from the ongoing protests have eased following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s address on August 4, 2024. However, some groups persist in subversive campaigns in the form of violent and unlawful protests, characterized by the destruction of public infrastructure and private property, looting, display of foreign flags, and calls for a military takeover. These individuals and groups will be treated as subversive agents and charged accordingly.
“The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has directed Deputy Inspectors General of Police for the Northwest and Northeast zones, DIGs Bala Ciroma, psc, and Bello Makwashi, to take charge of operations in the states within the two geo-political zones where subversive campaigns are ongoing under the guise of protests. They are tasked with stabilizing the situation and preventing further violence in the affected states.
“The Nigeria Police Force reiterates that the use of foreign flags during protests and openly calling for a military takeover of the government is a capital offense under Nigerian law. The Police cautions Nigerian youths to be wary of individuals and groups turning protests into business ventures, funded by local or foreign sponsors aiming to destabilize the country. Evidence shows that these sponsors have paid significant sums to exploit the hardship protests, brainwashing, and misleading innocent children into aiding this campaign against the government.
“The Nigeria Police Force salutes Nigerians who have refused to participate in and indeed spoke out against the ill-timed protest out of sheer patriotism and belief in the government’s genuine efforts to put the country on the path of economic recovery and growth. We also acknowledge the patriotism of those who peacefully participated in the protests but withdrew when they turned violent, and those who heeded the President’s call to embrace dialogue by withdrawing from the protests.” The statement was signed by ACP Olumuyiwa Odejobi, the Force PRO on behalf of the Inspector General of Police.
The statement was titled: PROTEST: POLICE SPEAKS TOUGH AGAINST DISPLAY OF FOREIGN FLAGS, CONDEMNS CLAMOUR FOR MILITARY TAKEOVER
Lagos Protest Suspended for One Day
The Lagos protest was suspended on Tuesday by the organisers for what they called restrategising. The protest, which has been one of the peaceful demonstrations since the beginning of the nationwide agitation on Thursday, August 1st, 2024, was visited by some hoodlums at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota, on Monday. A similar incident was experienced on Sunday when some thugs dispersed protesters despite the presence of security officers.
As a result, Hassan Taiwo Soweto, one of the protest organisers, sent a WhatsApp message stating that the Day 6 protest, which was supposed to take place today, had been postponed due to thugs’ plans to disrupt the process, and that the convergence of Day 7 activities would be communicated later.
The message reads: “IMPORTANT NOTICE: As agreed at the congress this evening, we are not converging at Ojota tomorrow. The next convergence is Wednesday 7 Aug 2024 which we declared as a Matyrs day to honour our comrades killed across the country”.
Meanwhile, some thugs violently scattered reporters who were covering the protests at Freedom Park in Ojota, Lagos. The journalists from News Central Television were attacked with weapons while they were covering the empty location of the protest. The journalists were seen in viral video pleading with thugs but they pushed into their bus.
Oyo State Protest Continues
However, there was no suspension of protests in Oyo State as some demonstrators were seen converging around the University of Ibadan, making their demands to the government for the reversal of fuel subsidy removal and a solution to the economic hardship in the country.
The protesters also demanded equal payment of allowances for workers and politicians, saying that the current administration does not have suitable policies that will ease the hardship on the citizens.
Osun State
The protesters also took to the streets in Osogbo the capital of Osun state where they were seen converging around the Olaiya with a speaker, calling for the funding of the educational sector in the country. They also asked the government to proffer solutions to the insecurity in the country.
The demonstrators also called for a reduction in the cost of governance, saying that the politicians are not sacrificing as they have instructed Nigerians. They urged the residents of the state to join them in the process of achieving good government in the country.
Rivers State
Also in Port Harcourt, the protesters took to the streets to demand good governance on Day 6. The protesters were seen in a viral video visiting the residence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, singing the old national anthem and demanding good governance.
Although the minister’s house was heavily guarded by uniformed police officers, many of the protesters sat on the tarred road in front of the house holding palm trees as they sang solidarity songs.
Other States
Residents of the southern states where protests were held on Tuesday went about their businesses without molestation or violence. Civil servants arrived at work just as they would do on any other day. One protester was seen complaining on camera that while they were fighting for the masses it was disappointing that people went about their duties unconcerned.
But in states like Ekiti, Ogun, Benin, and other Southeastern states, there were no reports of protests; instead, the people seemed determined to carry on with their regular business activities.
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