The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Ishola, has met with the planned October 1 nationwide protest organisers in Lagos, assuring them of maximum security.
At the meeting, held at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja, Ishola pledged full security support for the protesters, ensuring their safety.
This assurance was revealed in a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, on Saturday.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olanrewaju Ishola, psc+, mnips, as part of proactive measures towards ensuring a safe and secure Lagos State before, during, and after the proposed #EndBadGovernance protest scheduled for October 1, 2024, met with the protest organizers at the State Headquarters, Ikeja.
“The CP assured the organisers that arrangements have been made in collaboration with sister security agencies to provide maximum security for the protesters and other Lagosians while urging them to remain peaceful and law-abiding,” the statement read.
Additionally, the police chief has ordered the immediate deployment of human and operational resources across strategic locations in the state.
“He has also directed the deployed officers to be professional, civil, but firm in their conduct.
“The protest organizers, for their part, assured the police that they and their followers would conduct themselves peacefully and adhere to the law,” the statement added.
The meeting was attended by several organisers, including Dabiradura Adeyinka, Alex Omotehnse, I. Tobiloba, Lawal Adewale, Adewale Ojo, Declan I., Funmi Jolade Ajayi, Akintunde Adedeji, Balogun Hameed, Aghedo Stephen, Edafe Oghenebrume, H.O.T. Duro, Isaac Obasi, Soweto, Oloye Adeniji, Aishat Omolara, Barrister Chuks Nwobi, Emmanuel Ajide Esq., Femi Akinyemi, Esq. (Falana & Falana Chambers), and Comrade Oguntunji.
NewsNGR reports that the protest organisers had previously submitted a formal letter to the police, requesting adequate security for their members. This was disclosed in a statement jointly signed by the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Movement for Fundamental Change (MFC), Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), Joint Action Front (JAF), and Pan-African Consciousness Renaissance (PACOR-Nigeria).
“In this announcement, we inform the Commissioner of Police of our planned October action and remind the police of their obligation under Section 83(4) of the Police Establishment Act 2020 to provide adequate security for citizens participating in public meetings, rallies, and protests,” the statement said.
The organisers also issued a warning to the government, demanding immediate action from President Bola Tinubu’s administration. They stated that failure to meet their demands would lead to further protests under the banner of the “National Day of Survival.”