Police operatives on Monday disrupted the protest organised by the Take-It-Back Movement over the proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State, the alleged misuse of the Cyber Crime Act and the hardships in the country.
The attack on the protesters triggered condemnation from various groups, including Amnesty International.
The Country Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said this showed that the government was not willing to listen to Nigerians.
The PUNCH reports that he criticised the action as a serious violation of human rights, stressing that the people have the right to assemble and associate with others.
He said, ‘’People have the right to associate and the duty of the security agencies is not to tear gas them, it is not to harass them or violate them but to facilitate them and make sure they do their protest peacefully and with all the projections that would let them have their voice heard.
“But the police once again have proven to be against humanity’s right, they have proven not to be ready to change from their old ways of hostility. We condemn this act and want to call on them to change before it’s too late because Nigerians cannot continue to tolerate this kind of assault; enough is enough.
“It happened in August and in October last year and now we are witnessing another one it was completely a lawless attack and Amnesty International condemns it and we are documenting it.’’
The Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Musa Rafsanjani, also berated the security agencies over the crackdown.
He said, “I want to appeal to the Nigerian Police that disrespecting or attacking peaceful protesters is not good for their image. We have seen in many countries, including the United States, people are doing protests and the police are guarding them, helping to make sure that the protest happens without any disruption or any people hiding under it to commit any criminal activities.
“I think it is not really good and the police should stop doing that because tomorrow they will also retire and they will start protesting against non-payment of their pension or gratuity.
“Who will kill them if they do that? The police are even victims.”
The demonstration, which began as early as 7am, was truncated by security operatives who fired tear gas at the participants in Abuja and Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The protesters in Lagos similarly had a confrontation with the security personnel who blocked them from accessing the state House of Assembly.
However, the protest did not take place in Benue, Kano, Taraba, Kogi, Sokoto and others.
The event recorded a low turn-out in Plateau State.
In the FCT, roadblocks were set up along the Nyanya/Maraba axis and roads leading to the federal secretariat.
This led to significant traffic congestion in the affected areas.
In support of the police, the Nigerian Air Force scrambled two helicopters for aerial surveillance over the nation’s capital.
The choppers flew for several hours as the police went after the protesters, arresting two of them, identified as flagboy and Abosede.
Journalists, commuters and other residents were caught in the snafu, which abruptly ended the rally.
Confirming the arrests, a protest leader, Rex Elanu, said, “Our protest was violently dispersed. Bosede and Flagboy have been arrested. The flag boy is the one you saw carrying the Nigerian flag.”
Prominent activist and a former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, also joined the protest.
In Lagos, the police prevented the protesters from reaching the Lagos State Assembly complex, where they intended to submit a letter containing their demands.
The protesters had earlier gathered at the Ikeja Under Bridge as they displayed placards with inscriptions expressing their grievances, and chanted solidarity songs.
But they met armed policemen who had mounted a roadblock some meters away from the assembly’s entrance.
The police officers were joined by men of the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps.
Irked by their presence, the protesters insisted on presenting their letter, but the operatives refused to yield.
The showdown lasted for about two hours, as no lawmaker showed up to address them.
The national coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, accused the security operatives of violating their rights to protest.
He said, “The policemen are preventing us from accessing the house of assembly. It is the people’s assembly, so why are they blocking it? They are impeding our constitutional rights to movement, peaceful assembly, and protest.”
Sanyaolu also demanded the release of protesters who were arrested in some parts of the country where the protest was held.
While describing the demonstration as a warning action, Sanyaolu declared that another protest would come up in August should the government fail to meet their demands.
He said, “Currently, protesters have been arrested in Abuja after they were violently dispersed. We are calling for the immediate release of the protesters arrested in Abuja, Yobe, Gombe and Rivers States.
‘’This is a warning action, and we are going back to remobilise. By the time we get back in August, we will shake the entire country and the entire world.
“We want the Federal Government to stop the Cyber Crime Act, the emergency rule in Rivers State, the demolition of houses in Oworonshoki and other parts of Lagos State and stop the trial of those who are being charged for treason after the #Endbadgovernance protest.”
Prior to the commencement of the protest, the policemen were deployed to some strategic locations across the state to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
