One of the Lead organiser of October 1 protest Mr Deji Adeyanju, Sunday, has said that the proposed October 1 protest scheduled to commence on Tuesday is coming because of the failure of Tinubu lead Federal Government to address protesters’ demands before it. Speaking in Abuja Adeyanju said the issues are intentionally kept aside and nothing said about them including President Bola Tinubu’s promise to engage with protesters has not been fulfilled. He said “the issues from August 1 nationwide peaceful protest have not been addressed, citizens have the right to protest irrespective of insinuations of the government, the arraignment of protesters, intimidation, attempt to criminalise protest, citizens have insisted and expressed their rights that they must protest, and it is a constitutionally guaranteed right that cannot be derogated from the circumstances, and derogation of these rights have been captured in the constitution, and none of these circumstances are by reasons in the circumstance, and for me, I believe that it is the responsibility of government to ensure that citizens enjoy constitutionally guaranteed rights, and all and sundry must protect their rights.
“They are hitting the streets on October 1 because the demands of protesters have not been met, not one has been met, and even the promise by the President that ‘please shelf the protest I am going to engage with you’; none and nothing has happened. The President has refused to engage, which means that the President really takes the people for granted. He also said the protest would hold as planned by the organisers, “Even under the military people were allowed to protest, we do not envisage any of such. The police is aware of the protest, and the organisers of the ‘Take Back Movement’ have written to the police in Lagos, Abuja, Oyo and other parts of the country. The protest is nationwide.” He said that what security agents did during the August 1 nationwide protest by arresting and remanding peaceful protesters might also be repeated during the October 1 nationwide protest.
“That would be the intention of government anyway but I can tell you that that would not deter citizens at all in exercising their franchise. And this is an opportunity to call on citizens to blaze the trail and ensure that their rights be enforced during this October one protest.” Adeyanju also said, the Police Act mandates the police to protect protesters while exercising their guaranteed constitutional rights, which protest is one of them. In fact, the police had tried to say they were inviting the protesters for a meeting but the protesters had declined; the protesters had offered a zoom meeting, which the police did not oblige to. The protesters are not obliged to meet the police. The police Act don’t just simply says when once protesters justify the police of intention to protest the police ‘shall’ ensure that they are protected. So the police should provide security cover for protesters to exercise their constitutional rights”, he said. On the days the protest will last, he said it’s only the organisers can decide how many days the protest would be, and he added that as soon the protest commences the organisers would give details of the activities.
Meanwhile, on the issue of protesters still in prison custody and yet to be arraigned, he said, “Simply that many have been granted bail in Abuja, Kano, Sokoto, and other place across the country but so many more are still in custody, we are working aggressively that they are all released.” According to him, “We are optimistic, even on Monday we are still in court, and we are optimistic that would happen in order for them to be released because they said they have plans to arraign more protesters that were arrested and not arrested. We are optimistic that they would keep to their words and arraign them.”
Adeyanju said that the meeting of the N100 million bail condition for the 10 protesters recently granted bail is not the issue but the issue of landed property. “No, it is not payment of monetary sum or whatsoever, the hardest part of meeting that condition was just the issue around landed property. We have put in an application for variation, we have met some of the demands for some of the protesters. Three protesters that could not meet the demands we have put in an application for variation and that application is coming up on Friday October 4, 2024”, he said. On the condition of protesters in prison custody, the human rights activist said, “They have largely been incarcerated from their loved ones and it is definitely not a palatable one but it shows that the government is tyrannical in nature, and the government can do better.” Speaking on the efforts of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to release protesters in prison custody, he asserted that, “The NBA is doing a lot even the last adjourned date the NBA was in court on behalf of the protesters. We have been to Kano, we have done interventions in Sokoto, Lagos and other parts of the country. So NBA is being extremely proactive in this matter. One thing we can assure Nigerians is that the entire issues around the protest is going to be thrashed very soon.
