Tinubu’s Speech: Protest continues in Osun as organisers deliberate on next step

 

Protest organisers in Osun say they will meet to decide the next line of action, after President Bola Tinubu appealed to protesters to suspend their protest and come for dialogue.

Mr Ajala Adetunji, the Osun Coordinator of Coalition of Concern Nigeria Citizens, the group spearheading the protest, said that the presidential appeal will be reviewed by all involved in the protest.

“The protest is not a one-man show, especially as Osun’s case is concerned. “As far as the presidential address this morning is concerned, Mr President did not address any of our concerns.

“The president was not specific on what the government will do to address the demands of the youth,” he said.

According to him, the president’s call for dialogue is an open-end appeal, which does not have a clear indicator on what will be done.

“However, we are still going to meet to deliberate but as it stands, the protest continues in Osun.” he said

Waheed Lawal, Chairman, Osun People’s Coalition Society, whose group is also part of the protest, said that the presidential appeal will be deliberated upon by various groups involved in the protest.

Lawal said that the leadership of the various groups that were involved in the protest will have to meet to decide on what to do following the appeal by Mr President.

“The protest is an all Nigerian protest and Nigerians have to decide what the next course of action will be.

#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria: Hoodlums chase protesters away in Lagos

 Some suspected hoodlums on Sunday chased away #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters who had gathered at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in the Ojota area of Lagos State.

According to our reporter, the hoodlums intervened following a disagreement between two groups of protesters.
It was reported that a legal practitioner, identified only as JP, had urged the protesters to disperse after President Bola Tinubu’s nationwide address called for dialogue and an immediate end to the protests that have been ongoing since Thursday, August 1, 2024.

However, another group, reportedly led by 70-year-old Adegboyega Adeniji of Peace Action Transformation, insisted on remaining at the protest site until further notice.

Following an address by the police to the protesters, who had been chanting solidarity songs, a group of hoodlums emerged from the opposite side of the road and began to disperse the crowd.

In a video seen by our correspondent on X.com and shared by Channels TV, some hoodlums were shown running and wielding clubs.

A voice in the background of the video said, “All the police have run away. Start the car!”

Today, Sunday, August 4, 2024, marks the fourth day of the protest, which has seen incidents of death, looting, and harassment by security operatives across various parts of the country.

APC chieftain urges end to protests in response to president’s appeal

 A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has urged the organisers of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest to listen to President Bola Tinubu and end the protest.

Oyintiloye said that since the President had acknowledged hearing their grievances, they should embrace dialogue as suggested.

The APC chieftain, speaking to newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo, said that the wanton destruction of property, looting, and killing of innocent Nigerians could not be justified in the name of a protest.

He noted that the reported killing of about 10 persons in Niger, Borno, Kano, and Kaduna during the protest was disheartening.

Oyintiloye, a member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council, acknowledged that there is no doubt about the hunger in the country but stated that going violent against the government and the people was not the best way to address the present situation.

He said shutting down a fragile economy like Nigeria’s for 10 days would be counter-productive, resulting in more suffering for the masses.

The APC chieftain also expressed dismay at the destruction of the federal government’s multi-million naira digital innovation park in Kano, among other properties.

Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, acknowledged the constitutional right to protest within fundamental human rights but stressed that the protest should be properly managed to avoid escalating into riots.

He said that the protest, which had resulted in killing, looting, and destruction, could no longer be described as a protest but a riot.

He added, “Such riot acts contravene section 71 of the Criminal Code Acts of Nigeria which explicitly states that ‘Any person who takes part in a riot is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.’

“Therefore, protesters must be careful not to allow their activities to be interpreted as a riot, which is a punishable offence.”

Oyintiloye noted that while the organisers of the protest might have genuine reasons for holding a peaceful protest, there were individuals, who could be described as enemies of the nation, who might want to use the protest to destabilise the government.

He appealed to the youths and the organisers to embrace dialogue, adding that President Bola Tinubu meant well for the country.

“I want to appeal to the youths and the organisers of the hunger protest to embrace dialogue and allow the President to do what is needed.

“Protest is a constitutional right, but killings, looting, and destruction of both government and private property are not permitted by the law.

“Let’s be cautious of the fact that there are some disgruntled individuals who are planning to use the protest to destabilise the government. We must not allow this.

“There is no doubt that there is hunger and poverty in the land, but we can rest assured that the President is doing his best to improve the economy, but this cannot be achieved within a year.

“Let’s give the President the chance to address the situation, and let’s embrace dialogue for the peace and stability of the country. The President has spoken; let’s listen to him and give the administration more time,” he said.

Oyintiloye commended the security agencies for their efforts in safeguarding lives and property during the protest and urged them to continue to be professional in the discharge of their duties.

He also appealed to the protesters not to provoke the security agencies, whose responsibility is maintaining law and order in society.

#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria: Protesters block road, hold Sunday service in Plateau

 Protesters in Jos, the Plateau State capital, organised a church service on Sunday as part of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest, which began on Thursday.

The ongoing church service is being held at the Old Airport Roundabout, with a large crowd of protesters in attendance, including Christian and Muslim leaders as well as a former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung.

The protesters, brandishing Nigerian flags, blocked the Old Airport Roundabout, compelling motorists to seek alternative routes within the metropolis.

Some of those who spoke with our correspondent said the church service is significant because they believe that God still has the capacity to intervene in the affairs of Nigeria and turn things around for the good of the suffering citizens.

A protester, Philip Madaki, who said he arrived at the Old Airport Junction for the Sunday service around 7:30 am, said, “I have been participating in the protest since it began on Thursday, and today being Sunday, we are continuing with the protest with a church service.

“As the protest is ongoing, we believe that God Almighty has not abandoned the country and its citizens, and we know He has the power to turn the hearts of kings in whichever direction He wants.

“And we want Him to visit our leaders in the country, especially those in governance positions, and touch their hearts so that they will know that the citizens are really suffering because of bad governance and their harsh economic policies in the country and be able to do something to change the situation. That’s why we are adding the church service to the ongoing protests.”

I've heard you loud, clear, Tinubu tells #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters

 President Bola Tinubu has called for dialogue and an immediate end to the nationwide protests that have rocked the nation since Thursday.

Tinubu, who said his administration is ready to listen to and address the concerns of protesters, affirmed that he has heard their calls “loud and clear”.

“I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity,” he affirmed in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday morning on the #EndBadGovernance protests.

He said the country requires all hands on deck and needs all citizens, regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work together in reshaping its common destiny.

The 10-day planned protest, which began on Thursday, primarily against the rising cost of living and hunger, deteriorated into violence, destruction of property and loss of lives in many parts of the nation.

At least 17 persons were reported dead in the “days of rage” protests.

House help admits killing Justice Ajumogobia’s daughter – Police source

One of the domestic workers of Aribemchukwu, the slain daughter of Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, has owned up to being involved in the murder of her boss, a police source exclusively disclosed on Thursday.

Mellag TV reported that the deceased, popularly called Chuchu, was reportedly killed in her Parkview Estate residence in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State.

Although a family source said she was killed Tuesday night, her lifeless body was discovered on Wednesday morning outside the gate of her residence.

Her three domestic employees, which included the house help, a security guard, and a driver, were, however, arrested in connection to the murder.

Providing updates on the findings made so far, a police source who craved not to be mentioned as he was not authorised to speak on the matter said the house help confessed to the crime during interrogation.

The source also clarified that the deceased was murdered inside her room, and her body was thereafter dragged from the spot outside the gate where it was dumped.

According to the source, the suspects attempted to clean up the blood stains but missed some spots because the act was perpetrated at night.

“The deceased was killed in her room and her body was dragged to the front of the gate to make it look like she was killed on the spot. After that, all the blood stains were carefully cleaned but still, they missed some spots.  They did not clean it well because it happened at night.”

“The house help did not deny what happened. She said, ‘We do am, na we do am’, during an interrogation and everything she said tallied with the evidence on the ground.” the police source disclosed.

The suspects were also said to have immediately packed all the valuables of the deceased after killing their boss.

The source also confirmed that the three domestic workers were employed at the same time a week before the incident.

Until her death, the late Aribemchukwu was a doctor and had recently married.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said investigations were still ongoing.

He said, “Investigations are still ongoing on the incident. We will provide updates as soon as there are more developments.” 

#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria: Police barricade Abuja stadium with vehicles

 

After dispersing protesters, security operatives have blocked the entrance of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

Mellag TV earlier reported that security operatives dispersed protesters demonstrating in front of the national stadium.

Shortly afterwards, while the protesters and journalists were trying to reconvene, security operatives dispersed them from the facility with gunshots.

Our correspondent, who is currently at the venue, reported that the security operatives aimed at protesters and journalists who ran for cover.

As a result of this, the police used armoured and patrol vehicles to block the entrance of the stadium to stop the protesters from converging there again. 

The protesters had disagreed with the police to go inside the stadium. 

Angered by that, the policemen fired teargas at the protesters to disperse them.