Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, pledged Tuesday that his forces will respond to planned protests on August 1st with professionalism and restraint.
Egbetokun made the comments during a meeting with top police officials in Abuja, the capital city.
The nationwide August 1 protests, which are in reaction to the economic crisis in the country, including insecurity, a weakening currency, and inflation, are expected to draw large crowds.
The police chief said his department is prepared to protect protesters who demonstrate peacefully but will not hesitate to act if protests turn violent.
“We will manage the protest in the most professional manner,” Egbetokun said. “If the protest is peaceful, you will see us protecting the protesters as long as they remain peaceful. But we have a duty to protect lives and property, so we will not sit back and watch hoodlums burn down facilities in the name of protest.”
Egbetokun urged young Nigerians to reject calls for violent protests, saying that peaceful demonstrations are a fundamental right, but violent ones are not.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
