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IGP Requests Protest Details to Ensure Safety Amid Concerns of Violence
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has called on those organizing the upcoming nationwide protest to submit detailed information to their respective state police commissioners.
This request was made during a press conference held in Abuja on Friday. The protest, scheduled to start on August 1, is driven by youth groups addressing the escalating cost of living in Nigeria.
Egbetokun emphasized that providing specific details would assist the police in deploying the necessary personnel and resources to maintain public safety throughout the protest.
The required information includes the planned route and assembly point for the protest; the expected duration of the event; the names and contact details of the protest leaders and organizers; and strategies to prevent the protest from being disrupted by criminal elements, including measures to identify and isolate potential troublemakers.
The IGP also highlighted the importance of clearly designating protest routes and areas to prevent clashes with other events, establishing effective communication channels with protest leaders to swiftly address any emerging issues, and minimizing the risks of violence, property damage, or other criminal activities.
Egbetokun urged all participants to cooperate with law enforcement, adhere to legal requirements, and follow international best practices for peaceful assembly to ensure a safe and effective demonstration of their rights.
Additionally, Egbetokun mentioned that the police have received credible intelligence suggesting the involvement of foreign mercenaries in the protest. He cautioned that the timing of the protest might be problematic, given the current climate.
The federal and state governments, including President Bola Tinubu, have urged the youth to reconsider the protest.
Religious and traditional leaders have also advocated for the demonstration’s cancellation.
Both the military and the Department of State Services (DSS) have expressed concerns that the protest could be taken over by violent elements.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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