Organisers of Lagos state #EndBadGovernance have announced three days mourning to honour those killed by “trigger-happy police and security agents during the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest” across the nation.
This followed the outcome of a closed-door organisers’ meeting held Tuesday.
In a press release signed by Hassan Soweto, Ayoyinka Oni, Oloye Adeniji, the protesters stated that the three days of mourning will commence on Wednesday, 7 August, with an X Space and end on Friday, 9 August 2024, with a public symposium and candlelight procession.
“We hereby urge all Nigerian people and youth who support the struggle against hunger and hardship to do everything they can on a personal level to observe these three days of mourning, which may include wearing black attires as they go out, putting up graphics of the movement on their social media profiles, as well as other individual acts to show solidarity with our fallen heroes.”
They also encouraged Nigerians to join collective actions, such as the X Space, public symposium and candlelight procession on Friday, which will mark a grand finale.
According to them, the Lagos state government and the Commissioner of Police are not in any way prepared to guarantee the right of peaceful protesters to assemble freely without molestation.
“This explains why, at any slight opportunity, the police at Ojota, as well as at Alausa, have surreptitiously allowed state-sponsored thugs to attack our members and injure them,” said.
They noted that protesters were attacked by thugs on Monday under the watchful eyes of the police after Sunday’s attack.
“The same thing happened earlier in the day at Alausa, Ikeja. In both incidents, not only did the police not stop the thugs, but police officers also actually participated actively in dispossessing our attacked members of their mobile phones and valuables. This was only the latest in a permanent cycle of low-scale yet scary violent attacks against us once a little chance presents itself,” they added.
“Given how persistent the attacks have been, we have no choice but to believe that the police and the thugs are working together to muzzle our voices,” which has made Ojota unsafe for peaceful protesters.
While bemoaning the attacks on peaceful protesters and law-abiding Nigerians, they request the police render a public apology and “return of all mobile phones and other valuables stolen from our people by the same police meant to protect them.”
They stated that President Tinubu was on a mission to divide the nation.
“This explains the heavy-handed and disproportionate killings of protesters in the North and other parts of the country. At least over 40 protesters, mostly our Northern brothers and sisters, have been killed while hundreds have been arrested and detained over the course of the past few days.”
They further call for immediate and unconditional release of the National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign, Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Babatunde oluajo and the hundreds of protesters arrested across the country.
“We stand opposed to the senseless killings of our brothers and sisters for daring to protest hunger and hardship. These three days of mourning are to demonstrate that we shall continue to stand with our siblings from all parts of the country in this dark hour, and together with them, we shall fight for justice for those who have been killed and for an end to all forms of bad governance in this country.”
They call for the immediate sack of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the setting up of a democratically constituted public probe into the killings, wanton destruction and violence in various parts of the country during the course of the protest.
“Even in war, warring parties have a right to mourn and bury their dead. We, therefore, ask the Commissioner of Police in Lagos state to respect our rights as citizens to mourn our dead even as we continue to demand answers from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over our various demands, which remain unmet today.
They held that any group of protesters have the right to continue to engage peacefully on the street to drive home the demands of our collective struggle.
The #EndBadGovernance protest was earlier suspended in Lagos after a conclusion was agreed upon in Ojota, convening venue of the protest in the state.
Our correspondent observed that as of 1pm, economic activities were going on in Ojota area without any disturbance.
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