Suspend #EndBadGovernance Protests Immediately, Adegboruwa Tells Youths

Human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, has called on youths to immediately suspend their demonstrations as the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests entered the second day.

Adegboruwa highlighted that the original intent of the organisers of the protest against hardship in the country was to conduct peaceful and coordinated protests. However, he noted, “it would seem that fifth columnists and some angry persons infiltrated the ranks of the protesters to derail their laudable mission.”

In a statement released on Friday, the senior lawyer appealed to the protesters to “withdraw themselves from their various protest grounds and to suspend the protests immediately and indefinitely, in order to give room for meaningful dialogue and engagement with the government.”

He emphasised the necessity of halting the protests to avoid further losses and casualties, acknowledging that the protests had reportedly been hijacked by sponsored agents.

“The organizers of the protests and their representatives should embrace dialogue with the government,” Adegboruwa urged.

The lawyer, representing the ‘Take It Back Movement’—one of the groups behind the protests—expressed his regret over the deaths and losses recorded during the demonstrations. He extended his “sincere condolences to the employers and families of the security. personnel and also to the protesters,” praying for comfort and fortitude in the face of irreparable losses.

Adegboruwa also called on President Bola Tinubu to directly address the nation and engage with the protesters through their representatives. He suggested that the government set up a committee of men and women of integrity to meet with the protesters and address their concerns.

LEADERSHIP reports that tension escalated across the country on Thursday as the much-anticipated #EndBadGovernance protests began in nearly all 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. On both days of the protests, police were seen dispersing demonstrators, mostly youths, with teargas, an action condemned by various civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights groups.

The protests took a violent turn when hoodlums exploited the situation to loot public and private properties. In response to the unrest, state governments in Kano, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Nasarawa, and Jigawa, among others, imposed curfews in volatile local government areas (LGAs).

Amnesty International has reported several deaths, while the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, confirmed the murder of a policeman, injuries to other officers, and the burning of police stations.

The protests, driven by social media, began on Thursday, August 1, 2024, and are scheduled to continue until August 10 across the country , including the nation’s capital, Abuja. The demonstrators were protesting against severe economic hardships, exacerbated by the government’s removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of forex windows. Protesters are demanding the restoration of petrol subsidies, a reformed forex regime, and measures to address food shortages, unemployment, and governmental wastefulness. Additionally, they are calling for immediate reforms of the electoral commission INEC and the anti-graft agency EFCC, alongside a renewed effort to combat political corruption.