Nigerian police repress nationwide political protestF

Nigerian police on Wednesday arrested dozens of protesters demanding better governance from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, activists and lawyers said. But police said the protesters were arrested for breaching COVID-19 rules on social distancing. The security forces moved in as peaceful demonstrations called by the #RevolutionNow Movement took place in cities across Nigeria, including the capital Abuja and economic hub Lagos, said the campaigners.

“In Abuja, the police fired teargas to disperse the demonstration and in the process, many people were injured,” protest  leader Deji Adeyanju told AFP. “A total of 62 protesters were arrested from two protest locations in Abuja but they were released later,” he said. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana confirmed their release.

Adeyanju referred to 20 other protesters being held in Lagos, the nation’s largest city with over 20 million inhabitants. They were arrested in the Ikeja area of the city during a peaceful protest, he said. “The arrest was basically for the violation of COVID-19 protocols,” Abuja police spokesman Anjuguri Jesse Manzah told AFP. He said the police had only cautioned the  suspects on the need to comply with virus safety measures before releasing them.

Organisers said Wednesday’s protest also marked the first anniversary of the demonstration called by Omoyele Sowore, an activist and publisher of online media group Sahara Reporters. It did not in the end, go ahead, because Sowore was arrested two days before the event, and later charged with treason for calling for a revolution against the government. He was released in December.

AFP