By Damilare Adeleye
IGP Kayode Egbetokun, Inspector General of Police, has directed police top brass to protect intending participants of the planned #EndBadGovernance protest slated for August 1 to 10, 2024.
This was contained in a letter by IGP’s Principal Staff Officer, CP Johnson Adenola, to the request of human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN).
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria had on July 26, 2024, written the IGP to provide police coverage for intending protesters.
The senior lawyer wrote the letter on behalf of the Take It Back Movement, one of the groups planning the #EndBadGovernance protest in August.
The IGP, in his response letter dated July 29, 2024, directed senior police officers to attend to the request of the senior lawyer.
The IGP also requested to have a meeting with Adegboruwa in Abuja on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, “to deliberate further” on his request.
“I am to inform you that the Inspector General of Police has directed the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (Operations and Intelligence), the Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) in charge of Zonal Police Headquarters and the Commissioners of Police (CPs) in charge of State Commands across the country to attend to your request.
“I am to also inform you that the Inspector General of Police wishes to have a meeting with you at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday, 30th July, 2024 to deliberate further on your request,” CP Adenola said.
The police, military and the Department of State Service had warned against Kenya-styled protest with politicians appealing to youths to shelve the planned rallies but young people remain unfazed, doggedly insisting that the protest will hold.
The protest against economic hardship, which is gaining traction on social media, has been scheduled to be held across all states of the Federation as well as the nation’s capital in August to seek end to the hardship and misgovernance in the country.