The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has reported the death of a policeman on duty during the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests on Thursday, August 1.
At a briefing in Abuja, Egbetokun also revealed that several other officers were injured by hoodlums masquerading as protesters.
“Police stations have been destroyed. There have been attempts to take over government houses,” Egbetokun stated, describing the violent incidents in major cities as a “mass uprising and looting, not protests.”
He noted that the leaders of the protests were conspicuously absent, leading to hoodlums taking over the demonstrations.
The IGP provided further details: “In places like FCT, Kaduna, Kano, and Gombe, among others, we recorded incidents of unprovoked attacks on our security personnel where one policeman has been reported murdered and others seriously injured.”
He added that looting of public and private properties was widespread.
In response to the escalating violence, Egbetokun announced, “The Nigeria Police Force has placed all units on red alert. Our officers are fully mobilised and prepared to respond swiftly and decisively to public safety and order.”
The #EndBadGovernance protests, which were initially propagated on social media, turned violent in states including Kano, Borno, Yobe, and Nasarawa. Curfews have since been imposed in these states.
The protests, aimed at addressing economic hardship, began on August 1 and are scheduled to continue until August 10 across all states of the Federation and Abuja.
Civil society organisations have condemned the police’s use of tear gas to disperse protesters.
The protests were sparked by widespread economic challenges, including soaring food prices and inflation, attributed to the government’s recent policies on petrol subsidy removal and forex unification.
Despite warnings from the police, military, and Department of State Services, and appeals from politicians to avoid a repeat of the EndSARS demonstrations of October 2020, the youth remain determined to make their voices heard.