Gbenro Adesina
Security Operatives, including men of the Department of State Services (DSS), soldiers and police have clamped down on protesters, who were protesting against the state of the nation in Nigeria.
The protest was organised by the #RevolutionNow Movement against corruption, insecurity, extrajudicial killings, lack of infrastructure, among others.
It was gathered that over over 60 protesters were arrested by the security operatives in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, about 30 protesters in Lagos including Nigerian journalist, Agba Jalingo, and another seven including Olawale Bakare were arrested in Osogbo, Osun State.
At the time of filing this report, security agents are searching vehicles to identify and apprehend other persons participating in the protest.
The protesters were armed with placards with different inscriptions including, “Let there be revolution now in Nigeria”, “Free Lance Corporal Martins now”, “N2.2b per kilometre for fence is not acceptable”, “Yes to living wage for unemployed youth”, “Let us settle the matter on the street, enough is enough”, “One year after, the train of revolution now will hit the rail again nationwide”, and “We demand the implementation of the minimum national wage”.
Addressing the press, the protesters said, ” Nigeria is currently in the state of emergency. Our country has been reduced to a surrendered situation and we cannot. We came out today to show our displeasure to let the Nigerian government understand that there is a need for us to have sincere change. If we have a government that is serious about the welfare of the people, by now the service chiefs could have have been removed, by now a lot of things could have been overhauled in this country.
“Today, we are concerned that a lot of our youth go to tertiary institutions, they graduate and join the colony of unemployed because there is no job for them. There is a lot of criminalities over the place, this is because we have a lot of irresponsible leaders in position of authority. Our demands today is that there is a need for us to have conscious political revolution, there is a need for us to have change of leadership, there is a need for us to have people, who have clear focus, who have passion and the interest of the people in thier hearts to take leadership. This cannot be achieved by the political conglomeration of charlatans in the position of authority, this cannot be achieved with the current political architecture in Nigeria. There is a need for us to allow people, who are determined, who have interest of people to take over leadership and that is why we are saying no to APC, no to PDP, no to all these rascals in political authority”.
Protesters at Ikeja Along Lagos. Agba Jalingo, A3 and the likes have been arrested by the Nigeria police force during the peaceful #RevolutionNow protest in Lagos. The police were brutal on the protesters.@YeleSowore @adeyanjudeji pic.twitter.com/6jgszt691d
— AYBELLO (@IamAybello) August 5, 2020
VIDEO: #RevolutionNow Protesters Defy Heavy Security To Demonstrate In Abuja #August5thProtest #DaysofRage
WATCH FULL VIDEO: https://t.co/Z81GQ0bQSL pic.twitter.com/RqmUi5u7Du— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) August 5, 2020
