Hardship protest: Police to seize tyres in vulcaniser shops

The Ekiti State Police Command has received orders to conduct raids on all vulcaniser shops within its jurisdiction and seize all unused tyres.

This directive is coming ahead of the planned nationwide protests, scheduled to commence on August 1, 2024, under the hashtag ‘#EndBadGovernanceinNigeria,’ which has gained significant traction on social media.

A police wireless message, which has been widely circulated on social media, and addressed to Divisional Police Officers and various units, warns that any DPO whose area experiences burn fires during the protests will face sanctions.

The notice, titled ‘Order and directives re: Nationwide protest against end bad government in Nigeria,’ read, “In view of Inspector General of Police Conference/briefing with Assistant Inspector General of Police zones and Commissioners of Police in all the states on the above subject, Commissioner of Police directs you go out in the midnight, raid vulcanizer shops in AOR yours and seize all un-used tyres and dispose them off to prevent protesters from using same to set burn fire on the highway.

“Any DPO in whose AOR burn fire occurs will be sanctioned accordingly. All to ensure strict compliance please.”

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Command, Sunday Abutu, told PUNCH Online that “The directive became necessary due to an intelligence report received that some miscreants are planning to disturb the peace and movements of innocent citizens in the coming days using available and unused tyres on the street.”

He added, “Peaceful protest is part of the rights of all citizens, but protest characterized by threats, bloodshed and destructions of properties and lives of innocent citizens is unacceptable.”

The Presidency, police, and military have warned against the protest, citing the need for the nation to heal from the #EndSARS protest.”

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