The Nigerian Police Force has said they would not disrupt the planned nationwide protest by Nigerians as citizens have fundamental rights to expression and association.
“We respect the rights of all citizens to a peaceful gathering, expression, opinion and association,” force spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, said, according to Premium Times.
The protest is scheduled for Monday, December 11 in Lagos, Owerri, Kaduna, Port-Harcourt, Ibadan, Warri, Abuja, and other towns and cities across the country.
A coalition of civic groups has commenced sensitisation activities ahead of a coordinated and simultaneous protests scheduled for Monday.
The protesters would demand the complete abolition of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police department marred by cases of intimidation, torture, wanton arrests for bribes and killing of innocent young Nigerians.
Their aim is to compel the National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari to scrap the notorious squad, which was created by the police leadership to combat armed robberies decades ago.
The campaigners had delivered petitions to Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Senate President Bukola Saraki in September and said they received assurances that something would be done. An online petition for the abolition of SARS has garnered nearly 30,000 signatures as of Friday afternoon.
Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram
Leave a reply