By Ayomide Otitoju
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has instructed senior police officials to ensure the safety of participants in the planned #EndBadGovernance protest, scheduled for August 1 to 10, 2024.
This directive was issued in response to a request from human rights lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa. Adegboruwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had written to the IGP on July 26, 2024, seeking police protection for protesters on behalf of the Take It Back Movement, one of the groups organizing the protest.
In a letter dated July 29, 2024, signed by Principal Staff Officer CP Johnson Adenola, the IGP instructed Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (Operations and Intelligence), Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) in charge of Zonal Police Headquarters, and Commissioners of Police (CPs) in charge of State Commands to attend to Adegboruwa’s request.
Additionally, the IGP has requested a meeting with Adegboruwa in Abuja on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, to further discuss the matter. “I am to inform you that the Inspector General of Police wishes to have a meeting with you at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday, 30th July, 2024 to deliberate further on your request,” CP Adenola stated.
Despite warnings from the police, military, and the Department of State Services against Kenya-styled protests, and appeals from politicians to call off the rallies, young Nigerians remain determined to proceed. The protest, driven by widespread economic hardship and rising prices of food and basic commodities, is scheduled to take place across all states of the Federation and the nation’s capital in August. The economic crisis has been exacerbated by the government’s removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of forex windows, leading to one of the country’s worst inflation rates.
