#EndBadGovernance Protest: Requesting location, organisers’ identities constitutional – Police

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has defended its decision to demand the details of the leaders and organisers of the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest, saying such demand was constitutional.

This comes amid accusations by rights activist Deji Adeyanju and other groups that the police chief’s request contravenes constitutional provisions.

In a press statement by its spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Sunday, the police said that requests for the names of the organisers and details such as time, routes, and location of protests were in line with the Nigerian constitution.

He explained that while every Nigerian has the right to peaceful assembly, the police are responsible for ensuring that such gatherings do not harm the general public.

“It is vital to clarify that the IGP has never denied the constitutional right of every citizen to freedom of association and expression, but has rather, at every point, emphasised that the right is that to peaceful assembly and expression.

“Also, the Nigeria Police holds the responsibility to ensure that any activity, including protests, does not pose a threat to national security.

“In this wise, requesting the details of protest organisers and their leaders and the schedules of their protests, which include location, period, routes etc, is a standard procedure to facilitate effective communication, ensure the safety of all participants, and prevent any unlawful activities,” he said.

Mr Adejobi, an assistant commissioner of police, said that the IGP’s request was not out of place in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality, or public health or for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of other persons as enshrined in Section 45 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution.

Drawing a comparison to the #EndSARS protest, which turned violent after a government clampdown, the police spokesperson stated that matching a face to the protest would help prevent another national unrest.

He added that “if organised labour and other recognised bodies were involved, it would have provided a more structured and safer environment for such public protests.”

End bad governance protest

In recent weeks, talks of a nationwide protest to express citizens’ grievances with the state of the nation have dominated the public space.

Central to the preparations for the protest has been the police request for the identity of its leaders and organisers. While no one has officially been identified as the leader, many activists and social commentators such as Aisha Yesufu, Deji Adeyanju, and Omoyele Sowore, among others, have expressed support for the protest.

The protest is scheduled to be held across Nigeria from 1 August to 10 August.

The protesters want an end to hunger, economic hardship, and bad governance.

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PREMIUM TIMES reports that the government has taken various steps to prevent the protest from holding or if held, to prevent it from turning violent.

The steps include meeting with state governors, traditional rulers, and clerics. They also include threats by security establishments such as the Nigerian Army and the State Security Service, which said it had identified the protest’s financiers.

President Bola Tinubu has also urged citizens not to participate in the protest, saying the organisers were not patriotic.

“The sponsors of protests do not love our country. They have no love for the nation. They do not understand citizenship. They have alternative passports. They are in different parts of the world holding meetings virtually.

“We do not want to turn Nigeria into Sudan. We are talking about hunger, not burials. We have to be careful. We should be careful with premature politics; politics of hate, and anger,” President Tinubu said in a Friday statement.