THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has said it would restrict human and vehicular movements at the Central Area and Eagles Square in Abuja on Tuesday, October 1, as Nigeria commemorates Independence Day.
The command also said it had deployed officers and equipment across the city to ensure a hitch-free celebration.
A statement by the command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, on Monday, September 30, said “Traffic diversions will be implemented in areas expected to experience large crowds, including Central Area and Eagle Square.
“While celebrating Independence Day, residents of the FCT are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movements or activities.”
The ICIR reports that the barricade may prevent the #FearessInOctober protest scheduled to begin at Eagle Square and other locations in the city on Independence Day.
Deployment by the police for the Independence Day commemoration will include explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) personnel, anti-riot equipment, and visibility policing, among others.
The protest organisers have vowed that the protest would be held at Eagles Square despite police threats.
One of the protest organisers, Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate on Monday, September 30, provided an update on the protest on his X account, reiterating that the action was necessary across the nation.
The protest organisers said it is an extension of the August 1–10 #Endbadgovernance protest.
Protesters are opposed to President Bola Tinubu’s reforms that have engendered unprecedented hardship for citizens.
The ICIR reported that insecurity, inflation, and a hike in the cost of living pushed many Nigerians to stage a nationwide protest in August 2024.
Tinubu said the 2024 Independence Day commemoration would be low-key because of the nation’s economic situation.
Several protesters and journalists were attacked in the August protests, with many of them still locked up in jail for participating in the exercise, while others are facing charges for raising the Russian flag while the protest raged.
Police and other security agencies restricted the protesters to the National Stadium in Abuja and the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Lagos State in August, following courts’ pronouncements.
Protesters who defied the order in Abuja and moved to Eagle Square were attacked by the police with teargas, forcing them to disperse abruptly.
It remains unclear if a similar script will be played in the next phase of the protests.
According to the protest planners, several promises by the Nigerian government are yet to be fulfilled, making the #FearlessOctoberProtest unstoppable.
A reporter with the ICIR
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