Police disperse protesters in Port Harcourt | Photo: Channels Television
Officers of the Rivers state police command fired tear gas at protesters on Monday morning.
The protesters had converged on the Isaac Boro Park in Port Harcourt to rail against the emergency rule in Rivers and the alleged misuse of the cybercrime act by the police.
The demonstrators, who are members of the ‘Take It Back Movement’, had arrived at the protest venue as early as 9am when police officers showed up to send them scurrying in different directions.
“We are Rivers people, nobody can tell us where not to gather,” one of the protesters yelled at the officers.
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Some members of the group claimed that they had informed the police command of their intention to stage the demonstration in a letter dated April 3, 2025.
Some of the protesters, including journalists covering the event, were beaten up by the officers.
The protest comes weeks after Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, was suspended after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state over political instability.
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Similar protests are being staged in Lagos, Abuja and in a handful of capital cities across the country.
