Police will not allow violent protests in Nigeria again – IGP

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, said on Friday the Nigeria Police Force would no longer allow violent protests in any part of the country.

The IGP, who stated this during a meeting with police commissioners from the 36 commands in Abuja, warned that the force was ready to combat any group attempting to cause a breakdown of law and order in the country.

He added that several masterminds of the violence that trailed the #EndSARS protests and inmates that escaped from the Edo custodial centres had been arrested.

The IGP urged well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on groups planning another round of protests to discard the idea.

.Adamu said: “We will never allow this type of #EndSARS protests again, it was violent. Peaceful protest is allowed in our constitution. When these rallies started peacefully, we provided security for them.

“We were moving with them to make sure they were not molested by any group of people and it was going on well until it turned violent.

READ ALSO: IGP urges police officers to return to duties, lists conditions for use of firearms

“When it turned violent, they then attacked the people that were even giving them protection. So, we shall never allow any violent protest in this country again. When you talk of peaceful protests, yes, it is allowed but violent protests, never.

The police chief said his men are working hard to arrest other inmates at large, including cultists terrorising the neighbourhoods.

He added: “We have made a lot of arrests of those people that escaped from prisons. Some were even arrested in Kano and Kaduna. When they escaped, some of them went back to their business of robbery.

“And the cultists, when they escaped, they went back to the business of cultism, especially in Edo. We have been able to arrest a significant number of them and we are still after those that are outside. We call on Nigerians, any information you have about an escapee from any of the correctional centres, please inform us or any other security agencies, so that we can get them back to prison.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now