#EndBadGovernance Protest: Security agencies and organizers clash

Thursday's #EndBadGovernance rally in the Federal Capital Territory and other major cities is expected to draw large crowds of people, and on Tuesday, soldiers, police officers, and other security personnel took over the popular Eagle Square in Abuja.

More than 300 security personnel were seen in the square. Furthermore, the arena was surrounded and contained by 26 military trucks, 12 police patrol cars, and a Black Maria.

Security personnel occupied the square while protest organizers and Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun fought over how the event should be handled. The group agreed to reject the police idea for constrained protests during a virtual conference with the Inspector General on Tuesday. To ensure public safety, Egbetokun had suggested limiting the protests to designated zones.

However, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, the protest organizers' attorney, turned down the proposal.

Femi Falana, SAN, a human rights attorney, as well as important figures from the Take It Back Movement and other civil society organizations, attended the conference. After the meeting, Adegboruwa spoke stated that the protesters' restriction to a specific area was the point of contention.

He claimed that because it went against their fundamental rights, the organizers were in disagreement. "We agreed that the police would not do anything that would hinder or jeopardize the exercise of the right to protest by the citizens of Nigeria," Adegboruwa said. We all agreed on that essential point. We also decided that police are required by law to provide citizens with protection.

"The confined area was our point of contention. According to the venue that was supplied to them, the police would rather that we protest in a small arena. We argued that we were entitled to organize a demonstration and start a march. They claimed they lacked the workforce necessary to cover every city. The Lagos State High Court limited demonstrators taking part in the impending countrywide protest to particular areas within the state, seemingly dealing a blow to the group. The ruling was issued on Tuesday by Justice Emmanuel Ogundare, who also stated that the sole locations for protests in Lagos would be the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and the Peace Park in Ketu.

The ruling was made in response to a preemptive ex parte application brought by Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

In order to protect the public and avert possible property and human casualties during the demonstrations, Pedro applied. Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto of the Take It Back Movement, Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba of the Active Citizens Group, anonymous individuals, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police are the respondents in the reactive separate application.