#EndSARS: Protect peaceful protesters instead of threatening them, Adegboruwa tells police

Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, a senior advocate of Nigeria, says suppression of lawful protests has no place in the Nigerian constitution.

Adegboruwa said this on Tuesday, while reacting to the position of the Lagos police command on alleged plans to commemorate the first anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.

On Monday, Hakeem Odumosu, Lagos commissioner of police, said the command will not tolerate any protest by youths to commemorate the first anniversary of #EndSARS protest.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Tuesday, the human rights lawyer said the Nigerian constitution grants citizens the freedom of expression without interference.

He also said the police have a responsibility to offer protection to citizens who embark on peaceful and lawful protests.

“The responsibility of the police under the Police Act, 2020, is to offer protection to citizens who embark upon peaceful, civil and lawful protests and not to threaten them,” he said.

“The deliberate act of the police to suppress lawful protests has no place in our constitution and it should not be condoned at all.

“I am concerned that the police and the government generally seem not to have learnt any lesson from the EndSARS protests of 2020, for the purpose of engaging citizens in lawful ways.

“Considering that the ruling All Progressives Congress is itself a child of protests, it is unimaginable that the same government is seeking to gag citizens from enjoying the same rights that its leaders deployed to full advantage when they were in the opposition.

“I therefore urge the police to exercise restraint and work with the protesters to achieve a peaceful and orderly outing and to offer them protection.

“I urge the protesters to shun all acts of violence and disruptions of business or hindrance of movement of persons, in the course of the protests.”

In October 2020, Nigerians took to the streets in parts of the country to protest against the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force.

The protest, tagged #EndSARS, was later hijacked by hoodlums, leading to killings and destruction of public buildings.