Trusting the Nigeria Police is one risk that the #EndBadGovernance protest organisers are not willing to take.
Indeed, talks of another mass protest set for October 1, the same day the country will celebrate her Independence Day, is no longer news.
Via the protest, the protesters, fronted by the Take It Back Movement (TIB) seek to articulate the demands of the #EndBadGovernance protest, which according to them was not met by the government.
To foil this protest, the Police had invited the protesters for deliberations.
But, the protesters say they will not fall for that trick.
In fact, they have proposed a virtual meeting with the Lagos State Police Command instead of an in-person discussion, citing logistical challenges.
This proposal was outlined in a letter sent on Wednesday to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, State Intelligence Department, Jaiyeoba Joseph, by the group’s legal team, Inibehe Effiong Chambers.
The Fear Of Police
However, that was just on the surface, an insiders from the TIB expressed concerns that the physical meeting could be used as an opportunity to arrest some of their members.
Despite these fears, police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the invitation and assured that the meeting was intended to be friendly, with no plans for any arrests.
He also noted that the upcoming October 1 protest would be a key point of discussion.
According to the letter from the TIB’s legal representatives, several members of the group’s leadership are currently out of Lagos and would find it difficult to attend a physical meeting at short notice.
Virtual Meeting
The TIB suggested a virtual meeting to allow all participants to join remotely, making it easier to discuss the important matters at hand.
“Due to the short notice and the fact that several key members of the Take It Back Movement are currently out of Lagos State, attending the physical meeting may be impracticable.
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“We respectfully propose a virtual meeting as an alternative, as this would enable all necessary participants to join remotely and contribute productively to the discussions,” the letter partly read.
However, the group also mentioned that if a physical meeting was essential, they would be willing to reschedule, suggesting early October as a possible time when all members could attend in person.
The planned October 1 protest, themed ‘FearlessInOctober,’ is aimed at highlighting economic challenges in Nigeria, with a particular focus on rising inflation and the ongoing fuel crisis.
