Lagos State Government, Nigeria Police Force and sister security agencies have condemned the proposed nationwide protest against hardship in the country.
They said that they would not allow the protest to hold in Lagos State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that they made their position known on Thursday during a stakeholders’ town hall meeting organised by the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Adegoke Fayoade.
Some groups are proposing to embark on a nationwide protest from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10 over economic hardship and hunger in Nigeria.
In his opening remarks, Fayoade said that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the proposed protest and the position of security agencies in the state.
He said that the agencies had resolved not to encourage the protest, adding that the organisers and their purpose for the protest were not known to security agencies.
Fayoade said that some protests in the past were organised by known people or groups and were peaceful.
According to the police chief, if the protest holds as planned, it can be hijacked by hoodlums to cause violence.
“We don’t have up-to-date information on the nature of the protest and those behind it. Therefore, we will not support or allow what we don’t know.
“We can only allow it to take place if we know it will be peaceful and we know those organising it.
“We call on community and religious leaders and parents to warn their followers and children against participating in the protest.
“All the security agencies in Lagos State are together to ensure that it does not holds,” Fayoade said.
The Director of the Department of State Service in Lagos State, Mr Dapo Amao, said that the proposed protest had caused panic in the last two weeks.
Amao said that although individuals could protest, the proposed protest might not be peaceful.
“We are appealing to those planning for the protest not to carry it out. A good protest can bring development, while a bad one can destroy,” he said.
Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Bola Ogunlede, also appealed to those behind the protest to shelve it to avoid violence and destruction.
Ogunlede said that the number and calibre of people at the town hall meeting showed that no one desired the protest in Lagos State.
He said that the state government was worried about the faceless people organising the protest, adding that the town hall meeting was a proactive measure to check the protest.
Arewa (northern people) and Ndigbo (eastern people) in Lagos State, as well as traders, were represented at the meeting. They all condemned the planned protest.
Lagos State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Mr Gbenga Okundayo, said at the event that members of the union would not participate in the protest because the organisers and the purpose were not known.
Also, the Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Students, Lagos State Chapter, Mr Alimi Idris, dissociated the union from the planned protest.
Alimi said that the purpose and organisers of the protest were not known to the union.
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