You don’t need to tear gas harmless & peaceful hunger in the land protesters —-Organized Civil Society berates Nigerian Police
On August 1, 2024, the United Action Front of Civil Society condemned the Nigeria Police Force for tear-gassing peaceful protesters in various cities, including Abuja, Lagos, and Kaduna.
The group’s leader, Olawale Okunniyi, reported that three protesters fainted in Abuja due to the police’s actions, with many others injured.
He also alleged that pro-government supporters forcibly removed anti-hunger protesters from the Moshood Abiola Stadium, the government-designated venue for the demonstrations.
“The anti-hunger protesters sensing danger and possible violent clash, decided to quietly move in peaceful procession to the Eagle Square, where they had earlier designated to hold their peaceful protest.
“On getting to the Eagle Square, security agents swooped on them and unleashed mayhem on peaceful protesters with tear gas canisters, injuring several unarmed and defenceless protesters with three protesters reported to have fainted.”
The group strongly condemned the “resort to violence by the police in Abuja, Lekki, Kaduna and other centres in the country contrary to the assurances given to us by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, during our consultative meeting with him on Tuesday.”
“We find this show of force and reckless use of force unacceptable and barbaric and therefore call on the IGP to immediately call his men to order before the situation degenerates beyond control,” the statement said.
Propagated on social media, the nationwide protests against economic hardship, tagged #EndBadGovernance, started on Thursday, August 1, 2024, and is scheduled to stretch till August 10 across all states of the Federation as well as the nation’s capital Abuja.
Prices of food and basic commodities have gone through the roof in the last months, as Nigerians battle one of the country’s worst inflation rates and economic crises sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.
The police, military and the Department of State Services had warned against Kenya-styled protests. Politicians, who surmised that the planned rallies might end up like the EndSARS demonstrations of October 2020, have continued to appeal to youths to shelve the planned rallies but the young people have been unfazed.
