Protesters under the #EndBadGovernance Movement gathered early Thursday morning at Awolowo Road, beside the Ikeja bridge in Lagos, to begin a protest marking Democracy Day.
The demonstrators began assembling as early as 7:30 a.m. to protest what they described as “the absence of genuine democracy in Nigeria and the hunger, hardship, and gross inequality” under President Bola Tinubu’s two-year-old administration.
As of 8:53 a.m., the protesters had yet to commence their procession.
However, PREMIUM TIMES observed a heavy deployment of police and other security personnel around the protest site.
The protest comes amid tensions between the organisers and the Lagos State Police Command over security arrangements.
On Tuesday, the group accused the police of reneging on an earlier agreement to hold a meeting ahead of the protest.
In a statement, the organisers said they and their lawyers arrived at the state police headquarters in Ikeja at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday for a scheduled meeting with the Commissioner of Police. However, they were informed that the commissioner had gone to Oshodi to provide security for the president’s motorcade.
“We waited for an hour and then left after reaching an agreement with his subordinates that a rescheduled meeting would be held via Zoom,” said one of the organisers, Mr Soweto.
The group said it was surprised to receive another message from the commissioner’s office on Tuesday evening, rescheduling the meeting for 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, again at the police headquarters in Ikeja.
The organisers declined to attend the rescheduled physical meeting, insisting that further engagements must occur virtually, in line with the earlier agreement.
“We are not averse to meeting with the CP ahead of the June 12 protest to discuss modalities for the police to discharge their duties of providing protection for protesters, as provided for in the Constitution,” Mr Soweto said. “But it was the CP who failed to attend the initial meeting he convened, and we insist the next meeting must be virtual.”
Meanwhile, the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has advised the Commissioner of Police, Olohunde Jimoh, to ensure adequate security coverage for the peaceful protest.
When contacted on Wednesday, the Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the command was engaging with the protest organisers. He added that the police would provide security for protesters and residents celebrating Democracy Day.
“While the command will definitely provide security for those celebrating and those protesting, everyone is enjoined to be law-abiding and maintain the peace currently being enjoyed in the state,” Mr Hundeyin said.
PREMIUM TIMES
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