The Nigerian Police Force has denied reports saying it imposed a curfew for the nationwide protest against bad governance, hardship, and hunger.
Dockaysworld recalls reports from a local TV station (News Central) which went viral on X, that the police had established a strict 4 PM curfew, instructing protesters to disperse and head home by that time.
The protest is scheduled for August 1 to August 10, 2024.
According to the broadcaster, the police indicated that protesters should leave before 4pm once they had conveyed their messages.
However, in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, the police denied issuing any curfew.
The statement clarified that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has not declared any curfew.
Furthermore, the police emphasized that if such a directive were true, it would have been communicated through the official Nigeria Police Force platforms.
The Nigerian Police Force urged the public to disregard the false information and assured that any announcements would be officially disseminated.
Meanwhile, organizers of the nationwide protest have rejected the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun’s proposal for confined protests.
Egbetokun had suggested confined protests in identified locations and advised against street rallies during a meeting with the organizers.
According to the IGP: “It is not advisable to go on street processions because as you are planning peaceful protests, some are planning violence.”
However, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, one of the lawyers for the Take It Back Movement, one of the groups organizing the nationwide protest, rejected the IGP’s proposal.
