By Danjuma Lamido
“In spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace” – Martin Luther King Jr.
I was so angry after reading that the Take It Back Movement, a campaign arm of the Labour Party, has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, over the unfortunate killing of some of the hunger protesters across the country.
The organisation alleged that officers of the Nigeria Police Force killed at least 40 protesters across the nation.
Undoubtedly, as the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest fizzles out, many Nigerians, especially in the north, will live with the wounds, scars, and financial losses for a long time to come.
The protests, which started on August 1, continued even after President Bola Tinubu called for an end to the demonstrations.
You can imagine those protesting in the name of hunger invading a police station in Suleja, a major town in Niger State.
As someone who has been following the protests from its planning on social media, the Nigeria Police never fired a bullet but rather used tear gas, also known as riot control agents or lachrymators. Law enforcement agencies commonly use it for crowd control.
Maybe the Take It Back Movement need to go through the statement of the Nigerian Army, through its spokesman, Major-General Onyema Nwachukwu, who admitted on Wednesday that one of its soldiers killed a teenager, Ismail Muhammad, in Zaria, Kaduna State, thus acknowledging that security agencies deployed to monitor the activities of the #EndBadGovernance protesters across the country used live bullets on protesters.
The Nigeria Police from under IGP Egbetokun has always used appropriate measures to quell violence during protests, and the records are there for all to see.
It is on record that the Inspector General of Police, at a strategic meeting with the top police management team in Abuja, warned that the anti-August protest was ill-advised and should be jettisoned.
He, however, said the Nigeria Police Force will continue to accord Nigerians the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in the 1999 constitution (as amended).
The IGP said the police were prepared for the protest, and this was done professionally.
While briefing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, specifically asked all groups planning to participate in the demonstrations to submit their details to the commissioners of police in their respective states.
Aside from that, the Inspector General of Police on Tuesday met with Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, and other activists over the planned nationwide protests.
The IGP assured that security would be provided to protesters who gather at designated locations and communicate to the public.
While the IGP has ruled out the deployment of the military, he hinted that the armed forces could be called in if the police are overwhelmed by violence.
He urged Nigerians to notify their respective State Commissioners of Police of their intended protest locations and to conduct rallies and marches in a coordinated manner.
The IGP emphasised the importance of peaceful protests and called on organisers to respect the rights of citizens during the protest.
To facilitate a successful and incident-free protest, the IGP asked the organisers to provide the following information: state the proposed protest routes and assembly points; the expected duration of the protest; and names and contact details of protest leaders and organisers.
The IGP added that the information expected from the organisers also includes measures to prevent hijacking by criminal elements, as well as key identifiers for possible isolation of potential troublemakers.
Worried by the possibility of the protest being hijacked by criminal elements, the IGP explained that the police authorities needed the necessary information to also identify potential troublemakers.
Unfortunately, the Take It Back Movement never provided the information requested by the IGP and even disobeyed a court order.
I recall that Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, restricted the participants of the August 1 hardship protest to the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja.
Justice Oriji issued the order while delivering a ruling on an ex-parte application brought before the court by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and argued by Ogwu Onoja.
Wike contended that the federal government was not opposed to the protest.
However, he noted that intelligence and security reports indicated that some elements within the leadership of the protesters intended to use the protest to cause havoc, damage public facilities, block roadways, and disturb public peace.
On day one of the protest, 681 hoodlums were arrested; on day two, 63, day three127, and day four65 were arrested.
The casualties include 4 dead, 34 injured from IED, 8 police officers injured, 1 looter killed, and another injured by a vigilante. Also, a Honda car killed 2 protesters.
Arson on APC Secretariat, 6 vehicles in Hadejia, Katsina State. KASTLEA office looted; NEMA facility looted in Hotoro; repealed attack on Rijyar Lemo Division attack; vandalisation of church.
Also, the Tafa LGA secretariat was attacked, billboards were destroyed, 7 vehicles were burned, and goods worth billions of Naira were recovered.
All the above took place because the Take It Back Movement and its other partners didn’t yield to the advise of the Inspector General of Police to jettison it.
The case of the Take It Back Movement is like a bush meat catching the hunter. People who should be in court facing a murder and arson case for wanton destruction and killing are calling for the sack of the Inspector General of Police, who acted professionally despite ignoring his advise of putting the protest on hold.
Danjuma Lamido is a public affairs analyst based in Kano State.
