Protest organisers warn army chief against deploying soldiers

Organisers of the nationwide protest against hardship have listed points of convergence for public meetings, rallies and processions across the country.

But a Lagos High Court has restricted protesters in Lagos taking part in the proposed August 1 nationwide protest to the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park, Ketu area of the state.

Recall that Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had asked organisers of the protest to submit to Force Headquarters contact details of those organising the protest, as well as designated points and routes of the protest.

This is even as they asked the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to withdraw soldiers deployed across the Federal Capital Territory and other cities, ahead of the proposed protest.

Also yesterday, one of the organisers of the protest, human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, asked the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to withdraw soldiers deployed across the Federal Capital Territory and other cities, ahead of the proposed hunger protest.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, had denied that the deployment was intended to intimidate protesters, adding that “troops have always been deployed across the country in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. There is nothing new about that (deployment), please.”

However, in a letter addressed to the Chief of Army Staff yesterday, Adeyanju noted that providing security during protests was the job of the police.

He recalled that the deployment of soldiers for protests in Kenya and during the 2020 #EndSARS movement led to riots.

“We write as a pro-human rights law firm to draw your attention to the disturbing deployment of men of the Nigerian Army across the Federal Capital Territory and other cities to suppress the scheduled August 1, 2024, national protest.