Hardship protest: Security agencies occupy Abuja venue as IG, organisers disagree

•Soldier, police in show of force nationwide, court restricts Lagos protest to two venues

Soldiers, policemen and other security personnel on Tuesday occupied the popular Eagle Square, Abuja, venue of the #EndBadGovernance protest scheduled to be held in the Federal Capital Territory and other major cities on Thursday.

Our correspondents at the square counted over 300 security operatives at the facility.

Also, 26 military vans, 12 police patrol vehicles and a Black Maria were parked within and around the arena.

The security forces took over the square as the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the protest organisers disagreed on the mode of conduct of the demonstration.

At a virtual meeting with the IG on Tuesday, the group rejected the police proposal for confined protests.

Egbetokun had recommended that the protests be restricted to confined areas for public safety reasons.

But Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, the solicitor for the protest organisers, rejected the suggestion.

The meeting had in attendance human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, other key members of the Take It Back Movement and other civil society organisations.

Speaking to The PUNCH after the meeting, Adegboruwa said the area of disagreement was the confinement of protesters to a particular location.

 He said the organisers disagreed because it was against their fundamental rights.

Adegboruwa said, “We agreed that the citizens of Nigeria are entitled to protest and that the police would not do anything that would hinder or jeopardize the exercise of that right. That was a basic thing we all agreed upon. We also agreed that police have a statutory duty to offer protection to citizens whenever they protest.

“Our area of disagreement was the area of confinement. The police prefer, based on the venue sent to them, we should protest in a confined arena. We insisted that we have a right to rally and embark on procession. They said they don’t have the manpower that would go round across all cities.”

In what appeared to be a setback for the group, the Lagos State High Court restricted protesters participating in the upcoming nationwide protest to specific locations within the state.

Justice Emmanuel Ogundare made the order on Tuesday, while declaring that demonstrations could only take place at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park in Ketu in Lagos.

The decision came after the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, filed a preemptive ex parte application.

Pedro’s application sought to ensure public safety and prevent the potential loss of lives and property during the protests.

The respondents in the preemptive ex parte application are  Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba of the Active Citizens Group, Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto of the Take It Back Movement, unnamed persons and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State.

Pedro, while moving the application before the court, argued that as the state’s Chief Law Officer, he was aware of notices from various groups planning protests for and against different causes.

He emphasised the need to protect critical infrastructure and prevent incidents similar to those during the #EndSARS protests in 2020.

“The police in Lagos State do not have sufficient manpower to provide security for protesters intending to demonstrate across all local government areas and public highways,” Pedro stated.

He argued that there was a risk of the protests being hijacked by hoodlums intent on causing destruction.

“To prevent such outcomes, the Lagos State Government has designated two public spaces—Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park and Peace Park—where citizens can gather to express their views.

“Public protest in all the local government councils and public highways as well as other areas of public access in the state for 10 days is a deliberate plan to shut down the state and if this is allowed it will amount to economic sabotage,” he said.

 Ogundare, after considering the arguments, granted the reliefs sought by the Attorney-General.

The judge held, “ An order of pre-emptive remedy by way of interim injunction is hereby granted restraining the 1st to 5th defendants/respondents the 1st to 5th defendants/Respondents, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, or servants, are restrained from holding protests, rallies, processions, or meetings outside the designated locations from August 1 to August 10, 2024.

He said “These activities are permitted only at Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, and Peace Park, Ketu, from 8am to 6pm, pending compliance with the pre-action protocol by the claimant.”

Additionally, the court ordered the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, to provide security and manage traffic at the designated protest sites. “This order is crucial to ensure the safety of both the protesters and the public.

“An order of pre-emptive remedy by way of interim preservative order is hereby granted directing the 6th defendant to protect the fundamental rights of the 1st to 5th defendants/respondents to freedom of association, peaceful public protest, procession and tallies in the approved designated location for peaceful public protest, rallies and meetings in Lagos State, To wit: Gani Fawehinm Freedom Park, Ikorodu Road Ojota, Lagos and Peace Park, Ketu Lagos from 8 am to 6 pm on August 1-10, 2024 pending compliance with the pre-action protocol by the Claimant,” Ogundare ruled.

The court also directed that the order be served through newspaper publication, deeming it sufficient for notifying the defendants and respondents.

The takeover of Eagle Square on Tuesday by the Armed Forces followed the insistence of the organisers to hold the demonstration despite pressure from the Federal Government, traditional rulers and other prominent Nigerians.

The operatives declined to speak and ordered our correspondents to leave the square.

However, a policeman mounting guard close to the entrance told The PUNCH that they were posted to secure the facility ahead of the demonstration.

 “We have been deployed from various stations to maintain order for as long as the protest lasts. As you can see from the different vehicles around, some of us were brought in from Bwari and other police divisions,” he said.

The massive security deployment sparked fear among the civil servants at the Federal Secretariat and residents of the area.

Workers, who came to have lunch in canteens located behind Eagle Square, were heard saying they would stay away from the office on Thursday.

When asked if a circular had been issued to that effect, a lady responded, “No. Are we supposed to be told? I cannot afford to risk coming all the way from Bwari when a protest is ongoing. Nobody is even sure if this hunger protest won’t get violent.”

Other workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said they would not come to work from Thursday until the protests ended.

Security operatives were also observed close to the National Assembly, Abuja-Mararaba Road and at every major pedestrian bridge along the stretch of Airport Road.

 Checks by our correspondents revealed intensified surveillance patrol by the Guards Brigade, police, Nigeria Security and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies in the FCT.

A joint detachment of soldiers and policemen were seen patrolling major roads in Gwagwalada in a show of force.

Displeased with the military deployment, a human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, urged the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to withdraw soldiers deployed across the FCT and other cities ahead of the proposed hunger protest.

In a letter addressed to the CAS on Tuesday, Adeyanju said providing security during protests was the job of the police.

He recalled that the deployment of soldiers for the protest in Kenya and the 2020 #EndSARS led to riots.

Adeyanju said, “We write as a pro-human rights law firm to draw your attention to the disturbing deployment of men of the Nigerian Army across the Federal Capital Territory and other cities in an attempt to suppress the scheduled August 1, 2024, national protest.

“The task of providing internal security, including the protection of protesters during the scheduled protest, lies with the Nigeria Police Force and not the Nigerian Army.

“You may also recall that at all times when the armed forces intervened in any protest, including the recent Kenya protest, such protests often escalated into full-blown riots leading to loss of lives and property.

“It is on the premise of the foregoing that we urge you to withdraw your men back to the barracks as we do not want a repeat of soldiers killing protesters as was witnessed during EndSARS.”

Reacting to the takeover of Eagle Square by the security agents, the Director of Mobilisation, Take It Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, stated that the protest organisers were not discouraged by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike’s decision to deny them the use of the facility.

He added that the minister would grant them the venue when protesters converge on the square on Thursday.

Adenola said, “We are not deterred. We will be there that day to physically request the use of the venue. We are sure that they will concede to the demands of the people.”

Adeyanju accused the minister of trying to subvert the constitution.

He said, “The Eagle Square does not belong to the Federal Government, it belongs to the people of Nigeria.  It is when private citizens want to do a wedding, or a function, that’s when you’ll be asking them to follow the procedure.

“The constitution of Nigeria, Section 4, says that sovereignty belongs to the people, from which the government derives all its powers. So, is the FCT minister or the IGP now trying to subvert the constitution and take away the sovereignty of the people?  This was the same venue that was given to protesters protesting against the hunger protest. This is an aberration.”

The Programme Manager of Global Rights, Edosa Oviawe, accused the government of orchestrating the tension generated by the demonstration.

“They have assumed there would be violence. Ordinarily, they (protesters) should be allowed to converge on a location where the police can ensure their protection and ensure it doesn’t become violent,’’ he stated.

The Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said, “Why are they afraid of people exercising their constitutional rights to assemble peacefully and exercise their constitutional rights? Everything the government is doing portrays the President as a dictator, contrary to the claim of him being a democrat.”

In a move to ensure public safety, security agencies in Oyo State, on Tuesday, embarked on a joint show of force in Ibadan metropolis.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the agencies comprised the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigerian Army.

Others were the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Department of State Services, Nigerian Correctional Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service and Amotekun Corps.

The show of force, which began from the Police Command headquarters, Eleyele, took the security personnel to Mokola roundabout, Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi-Gate, Iwo Road, Bodija and Challenge, among others.

Briefing newsmen on the reason for the exercise, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ayodele Sonubi, said that it was to create awareness among members of the public on the readiness of security personnel towards the planned protest.

Sonubi said the exercise was also to ensure that the state remained peaceful, as it had always been, and to protect the lives and property of law-abiding citizens before, during and after the protest.

He said the security agencies in the state were not averse to people venting their anger through peaceful protest, adding that they had the right to protest without infringing on the rights of others.

“It is not your right to coerce others to join the protest. Nobody, including the security agencies, has the right to stop peaceful protests. Our right is to protect peaceful protesters and their property but the moment it turns violent, we have the right to lead and bring orderliness,” he said.

The police commissioner stated that Nigerians had witnessed many protests, noting that while some were peaceful, others were bloody, especially the 2020 EndSARS protest.

The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Bethrand Onuoha, asked the protest organisers to identify themselves so they could be invited for discussion.

The command in a statement by its spokesman, William Aya, warned it would not tolerate any destruction and looting of public or private properties in the state.

Ahead of the demonstration, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar, has directed NEMA zonal directors to ensure the agency’s warehouses were adequately secured against potential attacks.

 The spokesperson of the agency, Manzo Ezekiel, said NEMA had learnt from the 2020 EndSARS protests.

He added that the agency does not keep relief materials at its warehouses for too long before distributing them.

Ezekiel said, “We are good students of history and we have learnt the hard way. The experience we had in 2020 was a very sad one and we have not forgotten about it.

“Our DG has given directives to all zonal directors to ensure that there is water-tight security at our warehouses and offices to forestall any attack. Meanwhile, we don’t keep many relief items in most of our warehouses but that is not to say our warehouses are empty.”

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province have called on Nigerians to be peaceful during the rally.

The bishops made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting, held at the Domus Pacis Pastoral Institute, Igoba, Akure, Ondo State capital, on Tuesday.

The communiqué was signed by the Archbishop of Ibadan Catholic Archdiocese, Gabriel Abegunrin and Bishop John Oyejola, the chairman and secretary of the province, respectively.

The communiqué read, “The protests in Nigeria should be made to serve that purpose and none other. The protesters should exercise restraint and not disturb or intimidate those who may choose not to participate in the exercise knowing that it is their inalienable right not to do so.

“Such people should be allowed to go about their lawful business unhindered. The organisers of the protest have, therefore, a responsibility to ensure all these or call off the protest.”

The Christian leaders urged the security agencies to be professional in handling the protest and to avoid violence and bloodshed.

In the same vein, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has appealed to traditional rulers, leaders of religious organisations and community leaders to advise their people against taking to violence during the protest.

The governor expressed fears that the planned protest may turn violent “which may consume vulnerable and weak people in the country.”

“Some economic policies of the Federal Government, including the removal of fuel subsidy, may not have yet yielded the ultimately desired results as initially intended by the government, but I appeal to our youths to apply peaceful means of achieving their agitations than resorting to violence,” he stated.

The governor, who advised Abia youths to exercise restraint and engage leaders with a charter of demands, pledged that his administration would do everything to protect the people from harm.

Kogi State governor, Ahmed Ododo, eqully tasked the youths in the state not to allow themselves to be used as agents of destruction.

Ododo was speaking in Lokoja, on Tuesday, at the World Bank-assisted empowerment of 500 youths and women beneficiaries of the Livestock Productivity and Resilient Project.

“The intent of the promoters of protest in Nigeria is concealed in political desperation.  I call on all the youth of our dear nation to rally behind Mr President in his determination to fix the nation back on track,” he said.

The Yoruba Obas Forum, a group comprising monarchs from South-West and North-Central geo-political zones, also warned those planning to exploit the proposed hunger protest to cause chaos in the country to perish the thought.

The royal fathers, made their stand known in a statement in Osogbo, on Tuesday, cosigned by its national president, the Molokun of Atijere, Oba Samuel Adeoye, Oba Michael Ajayi, who is the Elerinmo of Erinmo, and the Public Relations Officer of the forum, the Alayandelu of Odo Alayandelu, Oba Asunmo Aderibigbe.

As traditional rulers, the monarchs said they felt the pains and frustration of  Nigerians at the moment, but suggested that the situation demanded a strategic approach.

The forum stated, “Protest has never been a solution for nations to solve their challenges but an avenue for the destruction of human lives and property.”

Weighing in on the issue, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing insisted that Igbo youths would not participate in the protest.

Addressing journalists in Enugu after an emergency Convention of Igbo Youth Leaders and Stakeholders 2024, titled, ‘State of the Nation’, the acting national president, Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, said the Ohanaeze youths aligned with the decision of their fathers that the Igbos should not join the protest but engage the government in a constructive dialogue to address their peculiar challenges.