The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, revealed this at the monthly news conference organised by the Strategic Communication Inter-agency Policy Committee (SCIPC), hosted by the State Security Services (SSS) on Monday, August 6, in Abuja.
Adejobi noted that while there were peaceful protests in some states, there were riots and criminalities in others on the first day.
“So, arrests of certain individuals who have been riotous should not be seen as the arrest of protesters. Let us get it clear. Some states in Nigeria have been having peaceful protests, and security agencies have been engaging them.
“I am sure, and I know you are aware, that some governors and public office holders have been engaging them. You can only engage in a gathering, an assembly that is friendly and accessible, where you have individuals wielding stones, offensive weapons, dangerous weapons and all the likes.
“I don’t think a reasonable man will move close or be in the middle of such a gathering,” he said.
Insecurity, inflation and a hike in the cost of living among others have pushed many Nigerians to stage the End Bad Governance nationwide protest against President Bola Tinubu-led government.
Tinubu had stopped fuel subsidy and devalued the local currency – the naira – thus causing a spiral hike in food and commodity prices.
The protest, which began on Thursday, August 1, has been marred by violence, largely caused by the security operatives in places like Lagos and Abuja, where protesters have been subjected to tear gas and harassment.
In some states, thugs have hijacked the protest to cause mayhem, attacking demonstrators and looting properties.
Meanwhile, despite the attacks by security operatives on peaceful protesters, Adejobi said the police and other security agencies had engaged the protesters professionally across the country.
He said the protesters in Abuja had violated the court ruling that restricted them to the main bowl of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
He argued that some persons have deliberately violated the court ruling, adding that the police presence was not to harass or intimidate anybody but to protect the national assets.
He also stressed that the barricade at Eagle Square was to protect the Three Arms Zone.
“You will agree with me that in some areas in Abuja, we recorded riots, and this protest was violent. Anywhere we have these engagements, I don’t think we should refer to such an assembly or a gathering or a procession as peaceful anymore.”
It was earlier reported that the police used teargas to disperse protesters at the MKO Abiola Stadium, where the FCT High Court had restricted the protesters.
They also shot tear gas canisters on demonstrators who marched towards Eagle Square on the first day of the protest.
Similarly, security operatives shot at protesters and journalists at the stadium on the second and third day of the protest.
Justifying the arrests of 873 people in relation to the protest across the country, Adejobi said the suspects committed criminal offences, including armed robbery, homicide, mischief, and malicious damage to private and public properties.
“We have arrested 873 suspects so far, and these suspects are those who are directly connected to one criminal offence or the other,” he added.
The FPRO also denied that the police and other security agencies attacked journalists who covered the protests, adding that they only prevented people from gathering at unauthorised places.
This was despite reports of how the security operatives, including the police and the State Security Service (SSS), shot at journalists at the MKO Abiola on Saturday, August 3.
Adejobi further stated the police had also apprehended some individuals for treasonable felony for carrying the flags of a foreign country on Nigerian soil.
“We have been able to arrest 30 of them with the same Russian flags,” he said.
Meanwhile, a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, confirmed that no fewer than 64 protesters were arrested and arraigned before different Magistrates in Katsina State on Monday August 5.
He, however, disclosed that his team of pro bono lawyers under the auspices of Lawyers for Rule of Law and Human Rights represented the protesters and secured the release of 30 of them.
“30 of the protesters have been granted bail and most of the 30 have already regained their freedom. We’re still perfecting bail for the remaining.
“The other set of 34 protesters have been remanded in the Correctional Centre because they were charged with offences that are only bailable at the High Court,”