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Nigerian Police Chief Warns Military May Intervene If #EndBadGovernance Protest 'Gets Out Of Hand' |
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has revealed plans to involve the Armed Forces if the upcoming nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests escalate beyond control.
Egbetokun made this disclosure during a Zoom meeting with prominent human rights lawyers Femi Falana (SAN) and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), the Take-It-Back Movement, representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association, and various civil society organizations on Tuesday afternoon, as monitored by SaharaReporters.
The police chief stated that soldiers would be deployed to monitor public demonstrations if there are sufficient indications that events similar to the 2020 #EndSARS protests might recur.
“For those threatening violence, most remain faceless. We have detained some individuals who were inciting violence and planning to bomb public places and burn down police stations,” Egbetokun said.
He clarified, “The military will not provide security during this protest unless the situation gets out of hand. During the #EndSARS protests, the military only intervened after significant violence, including the burning of five police stations in one day, prompted a curfew in Lagos.”
SaharaReporters also noted that the protest organizers had rejected the police's proposal for a confined protest.
The IGP suggested that the August protest should be confined for security reasons and to prevent it from being hijacked by miscreants.
“It is not advisable to hold street processions because while you plan peaceful protests, others may plan violence,” Egbetokun cautioned.
However, this proposal was strongly rejected by concerned Nigerians at the meeting, who viewed it as a violation of their constitutional right to assembly.
Adegboruwa, representing the Take It Back Movement, stated that while the specified venues would be used as meeting points, Nigerians would not be confined there during the 10-day protests.
