#EndBadGovernance: Protest in Lagos Suspended for Evaluation and Re-Strategizing

Organizers of the #EndBadGovernance protest in Lagos State have temporarily suspended the demonstrations to evaluate their progress and re-strategize.

According to Daily Trust, Comrade Hassan Taiwo Soweto, one of the protest organizers in Lagos, stated that the protesters would not yield to threats from security operatives.

Soweto was responding to a statement by Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, who declared the protest outlawed in the state. Fayoade said on Monday that the ongoing nationwide protest had been called off following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s speech on Sunday.

“The organizers have decided to call off the protest. They said they are looking at the President meeting their demands. So in view of this, there will be no more gathering at the Gani Fawahimi Freedom Park at Ojota or anywhere in the state. Any such gathering is now unlawful and illegal, and if such gathering exists, we are going to apply the full weight of the law,” Fayoade said. “Now that the protest has been called off, we are going to withdraw our men from Ojota, but we will leave a skeletal unit on the ground to ensure no one gathers here from this moment.”

In response, Soweto clarified that the protesters had not succumbed to threats from security operatives. He explained that the group decided to take Tuesday as an off day to allow for re-strategizing.

“The constitution allows for peaceful protest. We decided to take the day off to enable us to assess progress and also re-strategize. We won’t bow to any idle threat. We will make an announcement as to what’s next before the close of work today,” Soweto added.