October 1 protest will hold at Eagle Square, Lagos – Organisers to Police

The people planning the #FearlessOctober1 protest have said that the police, the Department of State Services, and the troops will not stop them from holding the event as planned.

The organizers have also written to Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police, to ask for protection at the protest. They said that protesting is a basic right and they would not give up that right to any government official.

Tuesday, October 1, is Nigeria’s 64th independence. Some young Nigerians have chosen this day to protest the hard times caused by the removal of fuel subsidies and the falling value of the naira.

Jowon Sanyaolu, who is the National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, and Damilare Adenola, who is the Director of Mobilization for the group, said that efforts to get people from all over Nigeria to join the protest had started.

“We have also written to the Inspector General of Police, informing him of our protest locations and reminding him of the constitutional duty of the police to protect protesters as opposed to the repression we have witnessed in times past,” said Sanyaolu.

The protest in the FCT would happen at Eagle Square, which is also where the Independence Day parade is held. The protest in Lagos, on the other hand, would happen at the Ikeja Under Bridge.

The organizers said that the protest would happen all over the country and that they would only stop if the “immediate reversal of fuel subsidy removal” happened.

The IG, Egbetokun, told the regional and state heads of the Force to send men to key areas on Monday until they were told to stand down.

Egbetokun also told the police to wear hats and disguise while he asked the Assistant Inspectors General of Police and Commissioners of Police to work with civil society groups and people who might be interested in joining the protest to stop them.

Omoyele Sowore, one of the protest leaders, said that the young people were not scared of the cops and that the protest would go ahead as planned.

Sowore said that it wasn’t true that some people were afraid that there might be violence at the protest.

“Nobody has expressed to us or anyone that they’re afraid because they know we are not violent protesters; maybe you should ask that of the government,” he added.

Lawyer to the organisers, Deji Adeyanju, said it was wrong for the police to summon protesters who were exercising their right.

“The police do not have the right to summon protesters like they are currently doing. It is the responsibility of the police to protect the protesters anytime they embark on a demonstration. The protesters are not political parties; security agencies should not harass them,” he stated.

According to the counsel, the crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protesters in August was to discourage citizens from participating in further demonstrations in the nation.

However, he said the arrest and detention of some of the demonstrators would not deter youths from joining the #FearlessOctober1 protest.

Adeyanju said, “The government plans to discourage people from coming out to protest; that is why they are still detaining our comrades who participated in the August protest. But that will not dampen the morale of the youths on the #FearlessOctober protest.”

On his part, Adenola said the organisers would not be deterred by the deployment of security agencies.

He added that the #FearlessOctober1 demonstration was a continuation of the #Endbadgovernance protest, which took place in August, adding that the demonstration was necessitated by the failure of the Federal Government to address their demands.

He listed some of their demands to include the reversal of the subsidy removal policy, amendment of the constitution, overhauling of the legislature, and the unconditional release of protesters in police custody.

Adenola said, “We are unperturbed by the threats issued by security agencies. What we have seen so far is that they (security agencies) don’t respect the rights of protesters; they may end up instigating violence against protesters.

“People are experiencing hardship, and the government is telling them not to protest. It is just natural; people have to speak up against this hardship inflicted by President Bola Tinubu’s government,” Adenola said.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the Secretary of the Democratic Socialist Movement, Peluola Adewale, said no harassment or intimidation from any security agencies would stop the protest, disclosing that about eight civil society groups would participate in the demonstration in Lagos State.

He warned the government against sponsoring hoodlums to infiltrate genuine protesters during the protests, stating that the demonstration would be peaceful in Lagos.

“We cannot rule out the fact that the government can sponsor violence to discredit the protest, but we want to warn them against that. People should not be deprived of their freedom of expression and assembly. Protest is our fundamental right, and we cannot surrender it to the police or anyone. We are not afraid of the police, DSS, or military,” he added.

Another leader of the protesters, Taiwo Hassan, said Nigerians had the right to freedom of expression and lawful assembly.

He said, “We are never going to submit our rights. Yes, you know many people might be afraid of what will happen if they are shot or what happens if they are arrested. But increasingly as people are thinking of that, people are also realising that our condition in this country is one between the devil and the deep blue sea. If you come out to protest, yes, maybe there is a chance that you might be arrested or you might be killed.

“But people also realize that even when you stay at home and don’t come out to protest, it doesn’t mean your life will be safe. Hunger is killing people right there in their bedroom. People are committing suicide and the state of insecurity means that none of us is safe.”