The Human Rights Writer Association (HURIWA) of Nigeria has condemned in strong terms the alleged police attack on FearlessInOctober protesters in Abuja and Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
It specifically condemned the FCT police operatives and their Rivers State counterparts for shooting canisters of teargas at demonstrators, who assembled as early as 7am on Tuesday, to simply protest the economic hardship faced by Nigerians, which they attribute to government policies and programmes.
HURIWA described as despicable and reprehensible, the decision of the FCT police command that intervened and dispersed the protesters at around 8:54 am. preventing the continuation of the demonstration.
The October 1 protest is part of a larger movement, building on the #EndBadGovernance protests held between August 1 and 10. Both protests were organized in response to the economic struggles and dissatisfaction with governance in Nigeria.
Despite the early dispersal, the #FearlessInOctober protest reflected the growing discontent among Nigerians, several of whom are calling for immediate action to address the nation’s economic challenges.
HURIWA also carpeted the Rivers State Police Command for similarly attacking peaceful protesters in Port Harcourt, accusing the authorities of working in tandem with armed hoodlums who took part in attacking the peaceful protesters and thereafter occupying the places whereas the protesters had gathered peacefully.
HURIWA, though a statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the attack by police with teargas canisters on peaceful protesters, was a provocation aimed at drawing the protesters to react so the armed police could have the immediate reason to open fire with lethal weapons like the police did in parts of the country during the August nationwide protests against bad governance.
“We are worried that the Nigeria Police Force has over the years, become the enemies of democracy and freedoms and have increasingly become the willing tools and the armed wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which are often deployed to kill off Nigerians who dare challenge the oppressors that have unleashed devastating destruction on the economy of Nigeria thereby dismantling the economic activities of millions of Nigerians who are now unemployed, dejected, deprived, starving and massively hungry,” HURIWA further said.
