Protest Leader Goes Into Hiding, Reveals Crackdown of police,Says DSS Operatives Visited Homes Of #EndBadGovernance Champions
According to a protest leader, DSS operatives began their search on Thursday afternoon, but the organisers were not present. The leader said that since then, the DSS has been actively seeking to detain them.
Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) is reportedly tracking down organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protest in Abuja, visiting their homes and mounting surveillance in an effort to apprehend them.
According to a protest leader, DSS operatives began their search on Thursday afternoon, but the organisers were not present. The leader said that since then, the DSS has been actively seeking to detain them.
The source revealed to SaharaReporters that they have been forced into hiding after a frightening visit from the authorities to their residence.
“Those of us leading the efforts in Abuja got visited by DSS on Thursday. We are being hunted and there are efforts to pick us up. I had to change the location that DSS visited on Thursday.
“They visited our homes around Thursday afternoon when we left the protest but had not got home yet,” the source told SaharaReporters.
“If you don’t hear from me by noon today (Friday), take it to mean that I have been taken. I’ll be sure to notify you if I have not been taken by then,” the source said.
Efforts to reach the DSS spokesperson, Dr. Peter Afunanya, for comment on the allegations were unsuccessful, as he did not answer calls or respond to a text message.
The #EndBadGovernance protest seeks to highlight the escalating issues of hunger, insecurity, and poor governance in Nigeria under the current leadership.
Thousands of Abuja residents took to the streets on Thursday to exercise their right to protest. However, the peaceful demonstration turned violent when police, led by FCT Commissioner Benneth Igweh, fired teargas canisters at the crowd in Eagles Square.
Journalists covering the protests faced harassment, with some being physically assaulted and having their equipment, phones, and other devices confiscated.
Daily Independent photojournalist Jide Oyekunle was among those targeted, unlawfully arrested and having his phone seized by police while exercising his constitutional right to report on the protests. In an interview with SaharaReporters, Oyekunle disclosed that his arrest was personally ordered by FCT Police Commissioner Benneth Igweh, raising concerns about a blatant violation of press freedom.
He said, “It was very terrible incident. The protest was peaceful and the protesters conducted themselves in a very peaceful manner. Right from the national stadium, the FCT Police Commissioner came there and asked them to enter the stadium. The protesters said no, they would not enter the stadium. The protesters later left the national stadium for Eagle Square and we, the journalists, followed them.
“At Eagle Square, the police had already laid ambush where they fired tear gas on the protesters. Some of the journalists actually mingled with the police to avoid being hit by a stray bullet and we were doing our job. But they started firing tear gas on the orders of the commissioner and he asked his men to arrest me and seize my phone.”
“What happened today is an indication that the Nigerian government is very hostile, and they are making the media environment to be suffocating, toxic and dangerous. It is very hard to operate. This is because when the police can descend on the media who are carrying out their constitutional duty, I think this is the height of impunity. This is because if democracy is all about transparency and good governance, then press freedom should not be denied,” Jide added.
Olukayode Jayeola, a photojournalist with The PUNCH Newspaper, was also arrested by police while covering the protest at Eagle Square in Abuja.
Jayeola revealed to SaharaReporters that his camera, phones, and other personal belongings were confiscated by security operatives. He expressed outrage at being treated like a criminal, along with four other protesters, despite simply doing his job as a journalist.
He said, “I got to the Eagle Square at about 7:50am thereabouts and I went about doing my work. The security operatives were trying to pull the protesters together from the National Stadium.
“They walk from National Stadium to the Eagle’s Square, so, on getting to the Eagle’s Square, they didn’t allow them to have access to the place and also dispersed the protesters with tear gas.
“I just saw some of the officers coming behind me and they picked me up, they said I was going to their office. They collected my camera; my phones and one M11 was also collected from me.
“I tried to identify myself that I’m a journalist, I brought out my identification card, to identify myself. I’m even with a bulletproof vest with press written on it, to identify me as a journalist and everything, but they refused.
“They packed me with other protesters and told me to sit down on the ground and started treating me as if I’m a criminal or something. So from there, I was transferred to the police command.
“Here, I was informed that my gadgets are with the NSA, that I should go to the NSA office and pick up my gadgets.”
The #EndBadGovernance protests, which have swept the nation on its Day 1, were ignited by escalating food prices and inflation, with demonstrators seeking to hold the government accountable for its inaction in addressing the deepening economic crisis and ensuring responsible governance.
