Organisers of the planned #EndBadGovernance nationwide demonstrations, scheduled for August, have rejected a proposal by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, for confined protests.

At a meeting with the organisers on Tuesday, the IGP suggested that protests be held in specific locations and advised against street rallies. “It is not advisable to go on street processions because as you are planning a protest, some are planning violence,” the IGP stated.

However, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), a lawyer for the Take It Back Movement, one of the groups organising the nationwide protests, rejected the IGP’s proposal. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), other lawyers, civil society organisations, and some leaders of the planned protests also attended the virtual meeting.

The planned protests against economic hardship, gaining traction on social media, are set to be held across all states of the Federation as well as the nation’s capital, Abuja, in August. Prices of food and basic commodities have surged in recent months, as Nigerians grapple with one of the country’s worst inflation rates and economic crises, sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and the unification of forex windows.

The police, military, and the Department of State Services had warned against Kenya-styled protests. Politicians, who fear the planned rallies might resemble the EndSARS demonstrations of October 2020, have continued to appeal to youths to cancel the rallies, but the young people remain resolute, insisting that the protests will hold.

Adegboruwa, one of the lawyers for the protesters, had on 26 July 2024, written to the IGP to request police coverage for the protests. The IGP, in his response dated 29 July 2024, directed senior police officers to attend to the request of the senior lawyer. Egbetokun subsequently requested a meeting with Adegboruwa in Abuja on Tuesday, 30 July 2024, “to deliberate further” on his request.

However, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria opted for a virtual meeting with the police boss, enlisting Falana, members of the NBA, and others to attend the meeting. Adegboruwa highlighted some of the planned protest locations, including Eagle Square in Abuja, Alausa Park in Lagos, Akpakpava Lane in Benin City, School of Agric in Bauchi, Rosewale Filling Station on Iwo Road in Ibadan, Maiduguri Roundabout opposite State Stadium in Damaturu, Rainbow Roundabout and Pantani Stadium in River State, and Freedom Park in Osogbo.

In his speech at Tuesday’s meeting, Egbetokun stated that some individuals calling for violence during the forthcoming protests had been arrested. He warned against street processions, which he said could be hijacked by fifth columnists and enemies of the state. “Confining peaceful protesters to particular locations will help us a lot,” the IGP said, raising the alarm that terror elements are looking to infiltrate crowds to wreak havoc.

After the IGP’s proposal, Adegboruwa said there would be street processions before protesters converged at specific locations sent to the police. “Our letter to the Inspector General of Police indicates that there will be processions that will be guided to achieve peace during the protests,” he said, noting that leaders will also make speeches on the days of the protest.

Additionally, Adegboruwa said the police’s attention should be focused on thugs and groups threatening violence. He mentioned that the organisers could not give a specific number of participants as Nigerians have been invited to join the rallies. The senior lawyer assured the IGP that the organisers are not destructive.

Egbetokun subsequently stated that the police would provide security cover for protesters at the confined locations sent to the Force Headquarters. “I will not be able to guarantee security for your members if you embark on street processions,” the IGP said. “I believe that a peaceful protest in a confined location will be safe.”

The police boss quickly added that if Commissioners of Police in states across the Federation have enough manpower, they could deploy their men to guard protesters during street processions. He advised the organisers to contact top police officials in their various locations to notify them of their requests for security cover during street processions and confined protests.