Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, insisted that the Nigeria Police Force was civil in their handling of #EndBadGivernance protesters.
Mr. Egbetokun made this statement while addressing journalists following the conclusion of Thursday’s nationwide protests, which escalated into violence in some states.
“The police appeared overwhelmed, we were not overwhelmed, we have our standby units everywhere. We prepared for this, we were only civil. The fact that we were civil does not mean that we were weak. We were only civil because we were expecting them to be peaceful.”
The chief made this claim despite at least eleven people being killed after operatives used lethal force to suppress a series of demonstrations across the country.
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In Kano, witnesses reported that police were responsible for three deaths in the northern commercial center. The force denied this allegation, telling Peoples Gazette that violent elements had disrupted the protest, looted stores, and fatally stabbed other protesters.
According to the Daily Trust, security operatives in Suleja, feeling threatened after being outnumbered by protesters, opened fire to disperse the crowd, killing six and wounding others. The protesters had barricaded a section of the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
Residents in Borno reported that at least two people were killed during the protests in Maiduguri, the state capital. The police did not immediately respond to The Gazette’s request for comment on the violence.
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