Nigerians savouring the freedom and democracy nurtured by June 12 took to the streets and social media to reflect and suggest pathways to a better country.
In Abuja, protesters gathered at Berger Bus Stop and moved towards the Federal Secretariat, where they planned to present their demands to the government. They were confronted by policemen as they approached the Eagle Square in Abuja to demand an end to rising insecurity, the release of abducted school children, and improved governance.
However, the demonstration was disrupted as security operatives fired teargas canisters to disperse the crowd.
Human rights activist and protest leader, Omoyele Sowore, was among those affected after he was hit with teargas at close range.
He inhaled the fumes and experienced difficulty breathing, prompting fellow protesters to quickly move him away from the scene and provide assistance.
Despite the disruption, the protesters later regrouped and continued their march, vowing not to be deterred by what they described as harassment and intimidation.
People around him quickly moved him away from the area and tried to help him recover. However, confusion deepened when another round of teargas was reportedly fired while he was still receiving attention, sending protesters running in different directions.
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Addressing journalists after the incident, Sowore said Nigerians must be freed from what he called the oppression and hardship confronting the country. He argued that citizens have a constitutional right to peacefully demand accountability from their leaders.
The protest was organized against the backdrop of growing public concern over insecurity and the increasing number of kidnapping cases across parts of the country. Protesters also demanded urgent government action to secure the release of abducted pupils and improve the nation’s security architecture.
In Osun State, 12 human rights organizations under the aegis of the Coalition of Civil Society Groups, Activists, and Trade Unionists, on Friday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo to mark June 12, calling for urgent action against worsening insecurity across Nigeria.
The protesters said governments at all levels had failed to adequately address the rising wave of kidnappings, banditry and other violent crimes in the country.
The groups, which included the Centre for Sustained Dialogue, Osun Coalition of Civil Societies, Democratic Socialist Movement, Take It Back Movement and the Federation of Informal Workers Organizations of Nigeria, converged at Ayetoro area before marching through Old Garage to Olaiya Junction, where leaders addressed journalists.
Carrying banners with inscriptions such as “Government must end kidnapping in Nigeria,” the protesters specifically demanded the immediate rescue of abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State.
Addressing journalists during the protest, Osun State Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Victor Lijofi, said Nigeria’s democracy was “derailing” and urged government at all levels to act decisively on the worsening security situation.
“We demand immediate rescue of the school pupils abducted in Oyo State. Nigeria’s democracy is derailing, and we warn the Federal Government to act fast. Nigeria is drifting dangerously. Tinubu can’t watch as if nothing is happening,” Lijofi said.
NAN
