Ahead of the planned nationwide protest slated to start August 1, police authorities are requesting the details of the demonstrators.
While briefing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, specifically asked all groups planning to participate in the demonstrations to submit their details to the commissioners of police in their respective states.
The reason he gave was that the protest was peaceful.
“We acknowledge the constitutional right of Nigerian citizens to peaceful assembly and protest,” the police boss said.
“However, in the interest of public safety and order, we urge all groups planning to protest to provide necessary details to the Commissioner of Police in the state where the protest is intended to take place.
“To facilitate a successful and incident-free protest, they should please provide the following information: state the proposed protest routes and assembly points; expected duration of the protest; and names and contact details of protest leaders and organisers.”
The IG added that the information expected from the organisers also includes measures to prevent hijacking by criminal elements, as well as key identifiers for possible isolation of potential troublemakers.
Hijacking
Worried by the possibility of the protest being hijacked by criminal elements, the IGP explained that the police authorities needed the necessary information to also identify potential troublemakers.
He reiterated the police’s determination to deploy adequate personnel and resources to ensure public safety, saying the Force needs to know the specific routes and areas for the protest to avoid conflicts with other events or activities.
The IGP also released other guidelines to the protesters, among which were for them to “establish clear communication channels with protest leaders to address any concerns or issues that may arise; minimise the risk of violence, property damage, or other criminal activity.
“We encourage all protesters to cooperate with the police, obey the law, and adhere to global best practices for peaceful assembly to guarantee a safe and successful exercise of their rights.”
No love for Nigeria
On Thursday, President Bola Tinubu weighed in on the planned nationwide protests, saying that sponsors of the demonstrations do not love the country.
Though he did not identify any sponsor, he said those championing the cause of the protests have alternative passports and hold meetings virtually across the world.
“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,” Tinubu spoke at the Presidential Villa while receiving a delegation of Islamic leaders led by Sheikh Bala Lau.
“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.
“The internet has made it possible to hold meetings in artificial settings. They hold meetings and sponsor anger,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale.
President Tinubu argued that protests, fuelled by anger and hate, could degenerate into violence and set the country backward.
Regime change
Earlier, security agencies warned against planned demonstrations, asking Nigerians to shelve actions capable of undermining national security.
Leading the agencies is the Department of State Services (DSS) which issued a statement on Thursday, saying it had identified the sponsors.
Though the agency agreed on the citizens’ right to protest, it claimed that some elements planned to hijack it.
“The plotters desire to use the intended violent outcome to smear the federal and sub-national governments; make them unpopular and pit them against the masses,” it said in a statement by its spokesman Peter Afunanya. “The long-term objective is to achieve a regime change, especially at the Centre.”
Calls for the demonstration tagged #EndBadGovernance protest had garnered momentum on social media in the wake of the high cost of living in Nigeria triggered by the twin policies of fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the inflation figures have reached 34 percent, pushing the cost of essential commodities beyond the reach of millions of Nigerians.
President Tinubu has been meeting with stakeholders including traditional rulers as part of last-gasp efforts to prevent the protest. He is calling on the organisers to be patient with his government as it works to address Nigeria’s challenges, assuring that reforms by his administration will pay off in the long run.
