Hoodlums on Sunday morning chased #EndBadGovernance protesters who had gathered around the Gani Fawehinmi Park in the Ojota area of Lagos State, Nigeria.
The protesters, chanting solidarity songs, were met with fierce-looking hoodlums wielding various sizes of planks, giving them a hot chase.
A significant disagreement among the organizers erupted at around 10:30 am, as a lawyer, known only as JP, urged the protesters to leave the grounds, citing that President Bola Tinubu had addressed the nation. However, another group led by 70-year-old Adegboyega Adeniji of Peace Action Transformation insisted on remaining until further notice.
Shortly after the police intervened to ask the small group to leave, the protesters claimed that a sponsored group arrived from the other side of the road to disperse them. By 11:30 am, the hoodlums returned, successfully chasing all the protesters away from Ojota. The police have since taken control of the protest grounds.
Despite President Bola Tinubu’s address, the protesters maintained that he had not tackled the core issues they raised. Security agents had earlier barred the protesters from holding a procession beyond the designated area, and the protesters complied without argument. The nationwide protests against hunger and economic hardship have now entered their fourth day, with previous days marked by police dispersing protesters using tear gas, which civil society organizations have condemned.
