Protests: Organised Civil Society Releases Official Day One Incident Report, Condemns Police Brutality, Calls for Government Engagement
The organised Civil Society Protest Monitoring Situation Room has released a damning report on the first day of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria nationwide protests, condemning the excessive use of force by security agents and calling for immediate government engagement with protest leaders.
According to the report, 21 people lost their lives, 175 were injured, and 1,154 were arrested during the protests. Curfews were declared in Yobe, Maiduguri, and Kano, while police brutality and citizens’ violence were reported in 18 states.
The Civil Society Situation Room expressed strong condemnation of the “brute force and violence unleashed on unarmed protesters” and called on the Inspector General of Police to rein in his men. The report also criticized the Nigerian police force for their lack of professionalism and tactical capacity in managing civil protests.
Furthermore, the report decried the looting and vandalization of properties worth billions of naira, mostly in Northern states, by unknown persons suspected to be sponsored to discredit the peaceful protests.
The Civil Society leaders called on the government to engage with protest leaders to address their demands, which include:
- Reduction of fuel price to pre-January 2023 price of ₦167 per liter
- Reduction of electricity tariff to pre-December 2022 price
- Implementation of free conversion of vehicles to use affordable Compress Natural Gas (CNG)
- Presidential action to plug corruption, profligacy, and waste in government
- Reduction of high cost of governance by slashing emoluments and allowances of government officials and political office holders by 50%
- Urgent democratic constitutional reconfiguration of Nigeria’s governance structure
The report concluded that urgent government engagement with protest leaders would douse growing tensions and avert further protests and strikes.
The organised civil society had earlier released Guidelines for peaceful Nationwide Citizens’ Action (NCA) against hunger and hardships in Nigeria.
Protesters were advised in the event of external aggression, provocation, or incidents requiring help, to use their android phones to record or take pictures and send them to the Civil Society Situation Room for urgent interventions via the WhatsApp hotlines: +23481-884-51511, +2348142864904, +2347035046101, +2348035823617.
On prohibition of sharp objects and weapons, protesters were equally advised not to go to the protest ground with sharp, hard, or violent objects or weapons, as anyone seen with such objects should be apprehended and handed over to security agents or protest monitoring teams for prosecution.
Citizens were enjoined to contact Protest Monitors at the situation room of the organised Civil Society via the WhatsApp hotlines for help and support during the nationwide protests.
The government and its agents were advised to demobilise and caution those being recruited to threaten and intimidate peaceful protesters, to avoid unnecessary clashes and battles, which may lead to another unwanted riots in the mode of the #EndSars debacle in Nigeria.
The Civil Society Situation Room will continue to provide local and international monitoring of protest incidents, and citizens are encouraged to report any incidents to the provided WhatsApp hotlines.
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