A coalition of rights groups has condemned what it described as a brazen display of aggression by police operatives against citizens who participated in the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest, as they were going home.
The condemnation was contained in a joint statement signed by the groups which included Joint Action Front (JAF), PRP Vanguard, Yoruba Revolutionary Movement (YOREM), Amilcar Cabral Ideological School Movement (ACIS-M), Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), Movement for African Emancipation (MAE), Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Precision, Electrical, and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA), Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR), and the TIB, Lagos.
The protest in Lagos started from Ikeja Under-Bridge and proceeded to Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota.
The protests also held in Alausa and throughout the course of the actions, there was no record of any threat to public peace and destruction of properties from protesters despite obvious signs of effort by state-sponsored miscreants to attack protesters.
According to the coalition, around 4:30pm on Thursday, some #EndBadGovernance protesters walking home after the peaceful protest in Lagos State were assaulted by a team of RRS police operatives, around Oregun.
They revealed that three of the protesters were arrested, while one other person who suffered violent assault, Damilola Akinola, is now hospitalized with a grievous head injury.
They also said two other protesters were arrested around Yaba on their way home.
The statement read; “We are completely shocked at the sudden display of aggression by the police after the protest had held successfully and protesters were going home and despite repeated assurances by the Commissioner of Police and his men that the police would maintain professional conduct.
“At around 8pm tonight, we have confirmed the release of the arrested protesters namely, Maduka Joshua, Michael Job and Opeyemi Owolabi, after a spirited rescue effort launched by our team of lawyers led by Barrister Festus Ogun.
“However, this does not resolve the issue. As far as we are concerned, this display of unprovoked aggression by the police has implications for trust and confidence in the capacity of the police authorities to guarantee the safety of protesters.
“We hereby demand the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining two protesters and disciplinary action against the officers involved in the unprovoked assault.
“We also demand a public apology from the Lagos State Commissioner of Police for this brazen display of unprofessional conduct by his men and a commitment that such will not occur again considering that the protest continues tomorrow.”
The group insisted that the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest is an unstoppable movement of Nigerians who are fed up with the condition of hunger and hardship in the country.
“We commend all Nigerian youth and the masses who trooped out in their thousands despite the atmosphere of fear and threat.
“The protest continues again today and the convergence point is Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota by 7am prompt.
“We urge even more people to turn up tomorrow so that our voices can be louder and our demands, which include the reversal of fuel price to pre-May 29 2023 level, end to hunger in the country, etc be heard,” the group said.
