Lagos — Some protesters against bad governance had a raw deal in the hands of the army, police, other security agents and even political thugs, yesterday, in Rivers, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
As the protesters actualised their vow of going ahead with the October 1 action with various themes, such as '#FearlessInOctober', and '#National Day of Survival,' the tough-talking security agents, especially the Police, kept their part of "ensuring law and order" and took steps to abort or crush the protest.
The outcome was a crackdown on the protesters, of which five leaders were arrested in Kano. They were also tear-gassed and chased about in Abuja and Port Harcourt.
However, there were peaceful protests in Lagos, Ibadan and Ondo, with the organisers and collaborating civil society organisations, CSOs, vowing to sustain the struggle against bad governance in the country.
The October 1 protest is a continuation of the #EndBadGovernance protests held between August 1 and 10 in response to the economic hardship experienced by many Nigerians.
The #EndBadGovernance protests were met with resistance from security operatives, setting the stage for yesterday's confrontation.
Thugs disperse protesters in Port Harcourt
In Rivers State, Police and suspected political thugs dispersed the October 1 protesters in Port Harcourt. The police also stopped media personnel from taking pictures or videos of the incident.
The Police had earlier urged residents to shun activities that could jeopardize peace in the state during the 64th Independence Day celebration, with the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, promising adequate security during the celebration, and deploying personnel to many strategic places in the city.
The protest in Port Harcourt met with stiff opposition from fierce-looking policemen who had arrived at the scene of the protest on time.
As protesters were gathering at the popular Pleasure Park on the busy Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway, the policemen arrived with some youths suspected to be political thugs, chased the protesters out of their meeting point, and took over the area.
Undaunted, the resolute protesters started regrouping at the Rumuola area but the same officers came and dispersed them.
The police mounted heavy security checks on the two locations and other areas suspected to be a new meeting ground for the protesters.
Coalition alleges arrest of leaders in Kano
In Kano, a coalition and pan-Nigerian movements, under the aegis of Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement, NPFM, Northern chapter, alleged that five of its leaders were arrested.
In a statement by Mr. Al-Amin, the NPFM identified those arrested as Mr. Abdulmajid Daudu, Mr. Yusha'u Sani Yankuzo, Mr. Amina Bello, Mr. Sani NaRogo, Mr. Anas and Mr. Abdullahi.
The coalition alleged that those arrested were taken away by the Police to Abuja under the instructions of the National Security Adviser, NSA.
"Mr. Abdulmajid Yakubu Daudu left his office this afternoon (Monday) at around 2:30 pm to attend a meeting with Kano State Commissioner of Police at the Bompai Headquarters of the Force. '
He was with four other members of the NPFM when he left his office for the meeting with the commissioner. As of 7: 42 pm, Mr. Abdulmajid and his colleagues have not returned. Their whereabouts is unknown. All efforts to reach them have proved abortive.
"We urge comrades across the country to help us raise the alarm until Comrade Abdulmajid and his colleagues safely return home.
"The growing state of political repression in the country makes this call for Kano State Commissioner of Police to produce Abdulmajid and his colleagues more urgent," the coalition said.
Abdulmajid and his colleagues were said to have over the weekend, addressed a press conference in Kano, declaring commencement of a nationwide National Survival Day protest on October 1, 2024.
The central concerns regarding the protest are the cost of living crisis and the endemic bad governance in the country.
Among the demands raised by Abdulmajid were fuel overpricing, food inflation, high cost of governance, grand corruption; persistent insecurity, re-nationalisation of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, and electricity distribution services, DISCOs, among others.
Panic, crackdown in Abuja
In Abuja, the police fired canisters of tear gas at hundreds of protesters participating in the #FearlessInOctober demonstration against poverty, hardship, and bad governance.
The first crackdown, which occurred in the Jabi and Utako areas of the FCT, forced residents and protesters to scamper for safety.
Eye-witnesses reported seeing protesters injured during the police crackdown, but organisers have not released an official casualty count.
Demonstrators carried banners and placards, with such inscriptions as "We are hungry" and "Enough is Enough - Revolution Now."
Before they were dispersed, one of the protesters was heard saying "the Nigerian government seeks to repress, suppress, and oppress the Nigerian people to the point where they become too afraid to express their fundamental rights.
"However, today (yesterday), we are showing the government through our actions here that our voices can never be silenced. The government should not expect us to remain quiet in the face of our poverty, suffering, insecurity, and poor leadership in every sector.
"A bag of rice costs about N100,000, and we are buying fuel at over N1,000 (per litre). And you say that is not enough? No."
Protesters started gathering at the Utako Market in Abuja as early as 7 am for the protest but Policemen dispersed them at about 8:54 am.
Eagle Square sealed off
In like manner, security forces sealed off Eagle Square, a popular national venue, and dispersed demonstrators, escalating tensions between protesters and the government in the nation's capital.
The crackdown, involving police and military personnel, blocked access to the square, a strategic location near the National Assembly and Presidential Villa that symbolizes Nigeria's seat of power.
Even though it was not used for Independence Day celebrations, the government's decision to seal off Eagle Square has raised concerns among protesters about their freedom of assembly and expression.
Security agents were patrolling Abuja, searching for protesters as of press time.
Eagle Square's significance lies in its role as the venue for presidential inaugurations, independence celebrations and historic gatherings.
Sowore leads action in Lagos
Amid tight security, Sahara Reporters Publisher, leader of Revolution Now Movement, and convener of #EndBadGovernance in Nigeria, Omoyele Sowore, led a coalition of civil society groups in a peaceful demonstration in Lagos, with a demand for good governance in Nigeria.
Tagged: "National Day of Survival" the organisers said the demonstration was a message to the authorities and in protest against the excruciating hardship, poverty and hunger imposed on citizens by President Bola Tinubu's administration.
The protesters, who shut down Ikeja environs, chanted anti-government slogans and displayed placards with various inscriptions, lamenting the plights of Nigerians and decrying the insensitivity of governments.
Some placards read: "Tinubu's economic reform is a scam", "Reduce petrol price to N195 per litre"; End scarcity," among others.
At least 27 CSOs joined in the demonstration which started at about 8 am, as protesters gathered under-bridge Ikeja where they marched along Awolowo Way towards Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, enroute Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, under the watchful eyes of armed security personnel.
Speaking, Sowore said: "We have called out Nigerians to exercise our rights. The independence that was granted in 1960 has become a burden on ordinary Nigerians. The independence was from colonialism. Today, October 1, we have called out Nigerians for actions to get real independence and that starts from today (yesterday) to liberate ourselves.
"This country needs a revolution. We need a revolution to liberate ourselves from the shackles of oppression by our leaders. I have come back home to be part of the masses, to kick against imperialism in our country."
...And Hassan Taiwo
Earlier in his remarks, the Coordinator of Lagos Movement, Hassan Taiwo, also known as Soweto, reeled out protesters' 10-point demand for President Tinubu's administration to meet.
He said: "The rules of this protest are clear. So far, there is no violence, we are not using thugs, we have the right to protest, and the police are with us. Refuse to be provoked. This is our struggle. We are the victims.
"Time has come for the people to speak out. This is a struggle to liberate Nigerians from the clutches of vampires in power. That struggle will not stop even if he (the President) answers our demand for a reversal of fuel pump prices. This struggle will only end when we send the looters away.
"When they say we were committing treason with the #EndBadGovernance protest in August, we will commit that treason again. Any government that does not rule in the interest of the Nigerian people has no reason to be in power. We are free citizens, and have the right to say the truth. Any government that imposes policies that punish the people has no reason to be in power."
At the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, different speakers spoke against bad governance, advocating the emancipation of Nigerian people, 64 years after colonial independence.
Among the speakers was the National Coordinator of the "Take It Back Movement," Juwon Sanyaolu.
Demands
The protesters' demands include rejection of IMF neo-liberal policies; reversal of hike in fuel price and electricity tariff back to pre-May 29, 2023 levels, making government-owned refineries work to guarantee affordable fuel products, reducing food prices, supporting farmers to ensure sustainable food production, ending insecurity, banditry, terrorism and violent crimes, prosecuting culprits and their sponsors.
Others are a robust security architecture and adequate support for soldiers at the front and their families; release of Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, Daniel Akande and all #EndBadGovernance protesters, activists, journalists, whistle-blowers and other victims of state repression unconditionally; implementing N70,000 new national minimum wage at all levels, and reducing the cost of governance.
Some of the CSOs in attendance include Socialist Labour, Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights, CDWR; Movement for African Emancipation, MAE; Centre for Human and Socio Economic Rights, CHSR; Initiative for Better and Brighter Nigeria, IBBN; Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation, Gafamorg; Committee for Defense of Human Rights, CDHR; Front line Socio-Economic Research Centre; and Plebeians Against Human Right Abuse, PAHRA.
Protest rocks Ondo
Some residents of Akure, the Ondo State capital, joined the protest against economic hardship in the country.
They were led by human rights activists, under the aegis of #RevolutionNowMovement.
The peaceful protest took off at the popular Cathedral Church junction in Akure metropolis.
Chanting anti-government songs, the protesters asked President Tinubu to address the issue of hunger, high pump price of petrol and electricity tariff in the country.
The combined team of armed police officers and men of the State Security Services, DSS, monitored the protest and prevented it from being hijacked.
Commercial drivers and motorcyclists joined the protest, crying out over the disparity in the prices of fuel at filling stations in the state.
They demanded immediate action on the high cost of staple foods and inflation.
Addressing newsmen at the protest ground, one of the leaders, Kunle Wiseman Ajayi, accused the government of not being sensitive to the needs of Nigerians in the face of the economic challenges.
Ajayi said the various "anti-government policies" of the current government have further plunged the country into economic crisis, noting that Nigerians could no longer bear the hardship.
Also speaking, Seyi Ogundipe, an activist in the state, said the economic hardship in the country has worsened the plight of many Nigerian youths who are self-employed.
Ogundipe noted that if the situation was not addressed, the resulting high rate of unemployment would lead more youths to crime.
Despite the protest, residents went about their daily routines in the state without disturbance.
Meanwhile, the state police command, in a statement by the spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, urged "the people of the state to continue to be patriotic and not join any organization or group that may want to disrupt the historical celebration of our dear nation."
Odunlami added: "The commissioner of police had ordered that all security apparatus of the police be activated to ensure the celebration is hitch-free and that no untoward incident is recorded.
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Kaduna calm as youths shun October protest
In Kaduna, there was calm as youth groups shunned calls to stage another protest against hardship and bad governance in the country.
People were seen attending to their normal businesses without any fear or intimidation, while youth associations and students were moving to the stadium to celebrate Independence Day.
Although police and other security agents were deployed to strategic areas within the state capital, they were just watching people's movement and vehicular traffic as there was no untoward development as at press time.
On Monday, the Coalition of Civil Society Groups, representing both indigenes and non-indigenes residing in Kaduna State, distanced themselves from the protests and urged Kaduna residents not to join.
Dialogue with protesters, UAFCS urges govt
Meanwhile, organised civil society, under the umbrella of the United Action Front of the Civil Society, UAFCS, also yesterday, called on the federal government and other sub-national governments in Nigeria to urgently initiate dialogue with leaders of the #Fearless October nationwide protests against hunger and hardship to avert another round of costly mass action in the country.
In a statement by Chief Olawale Okunniyi, head of the coordinating secretariat, the group viewed government intransigence on the need to dialogue with citizens protesting excruciating hardship foisted by its unilateral and arbitrary economic policies as impolitic.
According to the group, this may cost the country so much in the event of a prolonged face-off between citizens and the government.
Consequently, it offered to help in facilitating a strategic dialogue between the government and leaders of the citizens' action if it was acceptable to those concerned, especially the authorities.
It said: "Given our experience as leaders of organised civil society and pro-democracy movement, we are concerned that this second protests may lead to a prolonged mass action that may stall governance and well-being of the country for a long time.
" We, therefore, wish to urge the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, to ensure his men complied with ethical and acceptable security practice of managing civil protests universally, especially in refraining from the application of lethal weapons or coercive force during protests.
"This is not to aggravate the disagreement and turn the peaceful protests of citizens into unwanted and unintended violence and riots.
"Similarly, we wish to counsel the government to learn to involve credible leaders of the organised civil society and leaders of citizens' action in its implementation of some of the demands of the nationwide protests for veritable awareness of the Nigerian public and optimum results.
"For instance, our monitors recently stumbled on the opaque implementation of free - subsidised conversion of vehicles to CNG version by the government, arising from the demands of the last nationwide protests on national television and we are perturbed that the government in Nigeria only loves to indulge in 'creating jobs for the boys', instead of engaging in inclusive governance."
