Nigerians are calling for nationwide protests after the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, stopped officers attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other tactical squads from routine patrol as well as stop-and-search.
The ban follows public outcry over extra-judicial killings of young people in the country by officers, who label them as criminals without following due process.
Some Nigerians on Twitter, however, insisted that the ban was a ruse by the Nigeria Police Force to quell public outrage, which escalated on Sunday.
Folarin Falana, popular musician and son of rights lawyer, Femi Falana, declared in a series of tweets that he was ready to protest in the streets until the killings end.
Makes me sick to my stomach that till now, we are still waiting for a single word from our so called âpresidentâ on this SARS menace.
— Bop Daddy (@falzthebahdguy) October 4, 2020
By farrrrr the MOST insensitive government ever in our history. Unbelievable. Just always so absent.
— Bop Daddy (@falzthebahdguy) October 4, 2020
Ready to enter streets. Been ready since. We have to move in numbers. They cannot kill everybody.
— Bop Daddy (@falzthebahdguy) October 4, 2020
Why we dey fear to protest? They may kill us? Are they not killing us already?? Iâm every way possible!!!
— Bop Daddy (@falzthebahdguy) October 4, 2020
Fellow musician Runtown called on Nigerians to converge at the Lekki Toll Gate on Thursday, October 8 to protest police brutality.
This has gone long enough and now we MUST take action! I’ll be leading a protest to #ENDSARS on Thursday, October 8th 2020.
They MUST listen to us, they MUST make/effect REAL and VISIBLE changes! Empty promises won’t work this time!!!
— Runtown (@iRuntown) October 4, 2020
10AM
— Runtown (@iRuntown) October 4, 2020
Wizkid asked Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to intervene in the matter.
Mr Governor! I met with you December 2019! You expressed how proud you
are of the entertainment industry and all we do. Pls do something letâs be proud of you too abeg ! #Endsars!! https://t.co/PZoxsSIx5D— Wizkid (@wizkidayo) October 4, 2020
Rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner, Omoyele Sowore, asked Nigerians to converge at the police headquarters in Lagos and Abuja for protests until the government heeded the cry of the people.
Locations: @PoliceNG state headquarters in Lagos. Lagos has the most brutal longest-running killer #SARS in Nigeria@PoliceNG Force Headquarters in Abuja and all State Police Hqs will by fully #Occupy until SARS is disbanded and totally dismantled! #RevolutionNow @AmnestyNigeria
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) October 4, 2020
