Some suspected miscreants have begun threatening Lagos State residents not to participate in the hunger protest scheduled from Thursday, August 1 to Saturday, August 10.
In a viral clip on Tuesday, individuals whose voices were the only ones audible were chastising market women and men in a Lagos market, urging them to desist from the planned protest, as it might lead to more destruction than that witnessed during the #EndSARS protest.
“Anyone confident should come out on Thursday to protest. Are you the only one hungry? If you dare come out for the protest, you will be mercilessly dealt with.
“If they burn your shops, who will be responsible for it? On Thursday, if you truly believe in your cause, come out and protest. You are not the only ones who are hungry; we don’t want things to be destroyed in Lagos. We will not allow it,” the men in the video warned.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that some youths in Lagos held a solidarity march to counter the planned nationwide hunger protest scheduled for August 1.
Additionally, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has urged all groups planning to participate in the proposed nationwide protest to submit their details to the Commissioners of Police in their respective states.
He stated this was to ensure the protest remains peaceful.
Egbetokun said, “We acknowledge the constitutional right of Nigerian citizens to peaceful assembly and protest.
“However, in the interest of public safety and order, we urge all groups planning to protest to provide the necessary details to the Commissioner of Police in the state where the protest is intended to take place.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has indicated that there is no longer a need for the planned nationwide hunger protests scheduled for August 1 to 10, 2024.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said this while addressing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Monday, which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
Idris stated that the government is already addressing some of the demands made by aggrieved Nigerians and is making efforts to ensure that food is made available.
Aside from the Federal Government, the Christian Association of Nigeria, politicians, and other notable individuals have called on youths across the country to shelve the planned protest, despite its continuation in some parts of the country and a palpable fear that it might be hijacked by infiltrators who do not mean well for the country.
Although the protest, which has gained traction on social media, has been endorsed by presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi.
