Organisers Reject IGP’s Proposal For Confined Protest, Insist On Street Processions

Organisers of the proposed #EndBadGovernance protest slated for August 1-10 have rejected the proposal by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun for a confined protest.

Naija News reports that this was made known during a meeting with the organisers on Tuesday.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), other lawyers, civil society organisations, and some arrowheads of the planned protests attended the virtual meeting.

According to Channels TV, the IGP had suggested confined protests in identified locations and advised against street rallies.

However, one of the lawyers to the Take It Back Movement, and the groups organising the August protest, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, rejected the proposal of the IGP, stating there would be street processions before protesters converged at specific locations sent to the police.

Adegboruwa said the attention of the police should be focused on thugs and groups threatening fire and brimstone.

According to him, the protest organisers cannot give a specific number of people who would participate in the protests as Nigerians have been invited to join the rallies.

The senior lawyer assured the IGP that the organisers are not destructive.

Egbetokun said the police would provide security cover for protesters at confined locations sent to the Force Headquarters.

The police boss added that if Commissioners of Police in states across the Federation have enough manpower, they could deploy their men to guard protesters during street processions.

He advised the organisers to contact police top brass in their various locations to notify them of their requests for security cover during street processions and confined protests.