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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
Organizers of the #FearlessOctober1 protest have boldly declared that the police, Department of State Services, and military will not deter them from carrying out their planned demonstration on Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day, Tuesday, October 1.
The protest is aimed at addressing the hardships faced by Nigerians due to the removal of fuel subsidies and the devaluation of the naira.
In preparation for the demonstration, the organizers have formally written to Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, requesting security measures to ensure the safety of protesters.
They emphasized that the right to protest is fundamental and that they will not submit to any actions from state agents that seek to repress their voice.
Juwon Sanyaolu, the National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, and Damilare Adenola, the group’s Director of Mobilization, announced that mobilization efforts are underway, with Nigerians rallying from various parts of the country to participate.
“We have informed the Inspector General of Police about our protest locations and reminded him of the constitutional duty of the police to protect protesters, as opposed to the repression we have witnessed in times past,” stated Sanyaolu.
The protests are set to take place at key locations across the nation, with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) protest scheduled for Eagle Square, the same venue as the Independence Day parade.
The Lagos protest is planned for the Ikeja Under Bridge. The organizers clarified that the only thing that would deter them from demonstrating is an immediate reversal of the fuel subsidy removal.
In response to the planned protests, IG Egbetokun has instructed the Force zonal and state commands to deploy personnel to strategic locations starting Monday, until a stand-down order is issued.
He has also mandated that police officers dress in camouflage and hats, while urging Assistant Inspectors General of Police and Commissioners of Police to engage and discourage civil society groups and individuals from participating in the protests.
However, a leader of the protest, Omoyele Sowore, said the youth were not afraid of the police, adding that the protest would hold as planned.
Sowore explained that the reported fear of some people about the possibility of violence during the protest was not true.
“Nobody has expressed to us or anyone that they’re afraid because they know we are not violent protesters; maybe you should ask that of the government,” he added.
Lawyer to the organisers, Deji Adeyanju, said it was wrong for the police to summon protesters who were exercising their right.
“The police do not have the right to summon protesters like they are currently doing. It is the responsibility of the police to protect the protesters anytime they embark on a demonstration. The protesters are not political parties; security agencies should not harass them,” he stated.
The counsel noted that the crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protesters in August was to discourage people from participating in further demonstrations in the country.
He, however, said the arrest and detention of some of the demonstrators would not deter youths from joining the #FearlessOctober1 protest.
Adeyanju said, “The government plans to discourage people from coming out to protest; that is why they are still detaining our comrades who participated in the August protest. But that will not dampen the morale of the youths on the #FearlessOctober protest.”
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