Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), a human rights activist, has contacted security services, demanding protection for scheduled public meetings, demonstrations, and processions by a non-governmental organisation, the Take It Back Movement, its members, and some patriotic Nigerians and groups.
In a letter dated Friday, July 26, 2024, the senior advocate serving as solicitor for the Take It Back Movement informed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) that the planned rallies would take place from August 1 to 10, 2024, or at any time thereafter.
He stated that the rallies would take place at Eagle Square in Abuja, as well as other public locations in the 36 state capitals and the heads of the 774 local government councils.
Adegboruwa, while reiterating the role of security agencies during such rallies and protests, urged the security agencies’ leadership to make available the contact information for any of their officers or teams assigned to cover the aforementioned meetings/rallies/processions in order to coordinate plans and strategies.
The appeal comes in the wake of warnings from security agencies and groups about the planned protest. On Thursday, the Department of State Services (DSS) warned against the demonstrations, claiming to have identified their sponsors.
While the DSS supported citizens’ freedom to demonstrate, it claimed that some forces intended to hijack it.
“The plotters desire to use the intended violent outcome to smear the federal and sub-national governments; make them unpopular and pit them against the masses,” it said in a statement issued by its spokesman, Peter Afunanya. “The long-term objective is to achieve a regime change, especially at the Centre.”
On the same day, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike insisted that the capital area was not open for protest, despite the fact that the police had deployed 4,200 troops in anticipation of the rallies.
“The CP vows to resist all forms of violent protest and lawlessness, as the police will not be stampeded into allowing the destruction of public and private properties or the loss of lives,” stated FCT Police Command spokesperson Josephine Adeh on Friday.