Hoodlums have disrupted a peaceful protest organised by human rights activists, Omoyele Sowore, against hardship, insecurity, and a “shrinking civic space” under the present Federal Government.
The protesters had converged at a popular Cathedral junction, First Bank Area, ‘A’ Division, before some hoodlums disrupted the peaceful demonstration of the #EndBadGovernance protesters.
According to the protesters, the peaceful demonstration aimed to raise public awareness of citizens’ rights to democratic participation and to speak out against bad governance.
Speaking on the disruption of the protest, Sowore, who led the protesters said; “What is so sad is that a letter had been written by a lawyer to the Commissioner of Police, not to plead with police that we want to protest, but just to remind them of their duties as policemen to protect people in the country, and they failed and shocked in that responsibility that’s why we relocated the protests here.
“We have just met with him, and he did promise that something would be done. Do I believe? No, but at least we made our point known. But we have given him a matching order that if something is not done, we will come back here and take over the place.
“Nobody has the right to prevent another Nigerian from expressing themselves, and that is why, you see, I am always in the crosshairs of the police, whether the person oppressed is a policeman, or whosoever.
“We are not going to accept it. We are not and that’s why we have come here today. These hired thugs came to sabotage and hijack. They came to that place to attack the peaceful protest.”
Another human rights activist, Tope Temokun, spoke with journalists during the protest and said they have formally requested the intervention of the Ondo State Police Command to ensure the safety and protection of peaceful protesters scheduled to take place in Akure.
However, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Wilfred Afolabi denied the allegation that his men allowed the disruption of a peaceful protest in the state.
Afolabi said; “With the level of training we have received both locally and internationally, we will not allow any policeman under my watch to have anything to do with thugs. So their allegation that maybe police connived with thugs to attack them is baseless.”
