Suspected thugs have disrupted the June 12 protest in Akure, Ondo state.
On Thursday, protesters took to the streets of Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country to decry the current economic hardship and insecurity in Nigeria.
The protest coincides with the country’s Democracy Day celebration — a national holiday commemorating Nigeria’s return to civilian rule.
In Akure, the Ondo state capital, the protest began at key locations, including Cathedral Junction, First Bank area, and the ‘A’ Division axis.
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Speaking to journalists, Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2023, who led the protest, accused the police of failing in their duty to protect peaceful demonstrators.
Sowore alleged that the attackers were hired to sabotage the movement even after the protest organisers wrote to the police about their intentions.
“A letter had been written by a lawyer to the commissioner of police—not to beg, but to remind him of his duty to protect citizens—and they failed,” Sowore said.
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“We met with him, and though he promised something would be done, I don’t believe it. But we’ve made our point clear.”
“Nobody has the right to stop another Nigerian from expressing themselves. These hired thugs came to hijack the protest and attack us.”
Tope Temokun, a human rights lawyer, also condemned the disruption, saying it reflects the extent of government’s commitment to upholding democratic freedoms.
He described the incident as a violation of citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
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