The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has issued a directive to police officers nationwide to “deal decisively” with arsonists and troublemakers as youths prepare to stage #EndBadGovernance protests against hunger and economic hardship across the country, beginning Thursday, August 1, 2024.
In a statement released on the eve of the planned demonstrations, IGP Egbetokun criticized the organizers for failing to provide the police with essential details, including the names of participants and the routes of the rallies. He expressed concerns about the protest’s name, “Take It Back Movement,” describing it as having “far-reaching undemocratic, unconstitutional, and illegal connotations.”
The police chief warned that intelligence reports suggest the protests are intended to cause widespread chaos and harm to innocent citizens. He emphasized that the police would not stand by and allow the situation to escalate into lawlessness.
IGP Egbetokun has placed all police formations on high alert to safeguard lives and property. He instructed officers to respond firmly to any acts of arson, intimidation, harassment, threats to lives and property, breaches of peace, or criminal activities that may arise from the planned protests.
“All officers and men of the Nigeria Police are hereby directed to act and deal decisively with any act of arson, intimidation, or harassment of any citizen, threat to lives and properties, breach of peace, and any act of criminality that may arise or flow from the planned protest in any part of the country. Perpetrators of any crime will be arrested and promptly prosecuted,” the IGP stated.
The protests, which have gained significant traction on social media, are scheduled to take place across all states of the Federation, including the nation’s capital, Abuja. The demonstrations are a response to the rising cost of food and basic commodities, as Nigerians struggle with one of the worst inflation rates and economic crises in recent history, exacerbated by the government’s recent policies on petrol subsidy removal and forex unification.
Authorities, including the police, military, and Department of State Services, have issued warnings against protests akin to those seen in Kenya. Politicians, fearing a repeat of the EndSARS demonstrations of October 2020, have urged youths to cancel the planned rallies. However, the protesters remain resolute in their determination to proceed with the demonstrations.
