by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
Following the ongoing protest by Nigerians, CLEEN Foundation has acknowledged the “unassailable rights of every Nigerian” to peaceful assembly and how Nigerians have largely conducted themselves as the #EndBadGovernance protest kicked off on 1st August, 2024.
A Preliminary Statement was signed and issued by the Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Gad Peter, which read: “On the Outcome of the Ongoing Protest Across Nigeria, CLEEN Foundation issues this preliminary statement regarding the ongoing protests that happened concurrently across the Federation.”
According to him, in its continued commitment to promoting public safety and security, CLEEN Foundation has officially launched the ‘National Protest Situation Room.’
He said, “This initiative is designed to monitor and assess the situation during the protests by ensuring that the right to peaceful assembly is upheld and, that, public safety is maintained by monitoring the conduct of law enforcement personnel during the course of the protest.
“To this end, the Foundation has deployed volunteer monitors across the country to help in monitoring the conduct of law enforcement personnel to ensure that the right of Nigerians are respected and protected.
“While in preparation for the national protest, the CLEEN Foundation organized a virtual dialogue that brought together key stakeholders to discuss crowd management, interventions, and control measures.”
Gad Peter explained that, “The dialogue concluded with a strong emphasis on the need for law enforcement agencies to respect the fundamental rights of Nigerians, while maintaining law and order.
“The demands of the public – protesters have articulated several key demands aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and overall governance.”
He stressed that, “The overview of the protest is: North Central – Niger, Nassarawa, Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Plateau and FCT,” saying, “In the FCT, the atmosphere, which was peaceful at the start, got tense as our monitors noted that the security forces on ground released “tear gas” to disperse protesters.
“It was also reported that travelers’ vehicles were attacked along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway by some hoodlums, who joined the protest; whereas in Plateau, our observer stated that it was peaceful demonstration with cooperation from the Police and the public.
“Meanwhile, there were reports from Suleja, Niger State, of shooting by law enforcement personnel, which led to the death of some of protesters, while others were badly injured.”
According to him, “In the North West – Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Zamfara, Kaduna and Kebbi, there was unrest arising from the protest in Kano State.
“That led the governor to declare a 24-hour curfew in the state, with immediate effect. During the protest, it was gathered that NCC Digital Innovation Park in Kano was looted and set ablaze by hoodlums.
“This building was set to host a Buildathon Holiday Maker programme for secondary school students in the coming weeks. Reported attacks were also recorded on the Kaduna State Transport and Environmental Management Agency, Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority (KASTLEA) and the Kaduna Investment and Promotions Agency (KADIPA). Other Government property like traffic signals were reportedly destroyed.
“While in the North East – Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe & Borno, there was reports of shooting and violent turn of the protest in Maiduguri, Borno State. The government also imposed a 24-hour curfew in response to ongoing protests in the State.
“Also the Yobe Government equally has declared a 24-hour curfew in Postikum, Gashua and Nguru Local Government Areas of the state to contain the destruction of public and private infrastructure by hoodlums disrupting the protest.”
The statement also averred that, “South-South – Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa, protesters reportedly stormed a storage facility in Urora, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, and looted federal government palliatives in Edo State, while in Rivers State, the area is reportedly calm.”
He further explained that, ”The South West – Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo and Lagos, protest in the South West, especially Lagos, has been greeted with heavy security presence but, surprisingly peaceful outcomes during the demonstrations with cooperation from the Police.
“In the South East – Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo, unknown gunmen reportedly attacked officials of the DSS in Orsu Local Government Area, while in Imo state and Enugu State, observers reported that the incidence did not disrupt the relatively peaceful atmosphere in the state.
“CLEEN Foundation has observed across the country that the start to the civil action panned out much more reasonably than previous occurrences. The Police are being largely cooperative and the citizens in most areas are making their points known without excessive violence,” he noted
According to him, they have identified the following threats, which have become trends during mass actions, “such as these, Curfews, Vandalism/ Looting, Security Interference, Death and Injuries.
“While CLEEN Foundation urges the general public to exercise caution and maintain situational awareness and upholds the rule of law, so far, there is no response by the government in response to the protest or provision of support services.
“As an organisation, our immediate concerns are around some civilians misplaced priorities at times like these. Destruction of government property causes a setback for integrating technology and job creation opportunities for the youth in Nigeria.
“CLEEN Foundation expresses commitment to continued support to highlight the underlying issues raised by the protesters and urges all parties involved to exercise restraint and engage in constructive dialogue. We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide further updates as needed,” Gad Peter noted.