For several hours on Tuesday, there was traffic gridlock in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital as #EndSARS protesters took over major roads within the city in protest against the arrest of some protesters and the operation of the Special Anti Robbery Police Squad.
The youth, carrying banners with different captions, rendered anti-SARS operation songs as they walked through major streets in Ibadan to press home their points.
Their placards read, ‘Young people make money too,’ ‘Youth are not enemies,’ ‘I’m a Nigerian, stop killing me,’ ‘We are entrepreneurs, not criminals,’ ‘Making money through the Internet doesn’t make you a criminal,’ ‘Police are our oppressors,’ among others.
Some lawmakers in the Oyo State House of Assembly expressed their solidarity with the protesting youth which comprised artistes, students and members of #RevolutionNow
The aggrieved youth, said all detained #EndSARS protesters should be released and there should be no going back on Federal Government’s decision to phase out SARS as a major step in curbing police brutality, extra-judicial killing, and extortion of citizens.
Among other areas, the protesters converged on Iwo Road Interchange, the Oyo State secretariat at Agodi, Mokola, Challenge, Sango, the main gate of the University of Ibadan, Bodija, Queen Elizabeth Road and Dugbe.
Commuters expressed frustrations on the protest as many of them were held in the gridlock for hours.
Against this backdrop, a protester, who gave his name simply as Akande, said, “It is our right to protest. We apologise to those affected by the gridlock, but we expect that they should be part of us. They are also being exploited by policemen as they embark on their journey.”
The protesters said they would not give up until all their demands were acceded by government. Amongst other things, they called for the release of arrested protesters as well as a total overhaul of the Police Force.
The state Coordinator for the Coalition of #Revolution Now, Solomon Emiola, said, “We demands end to SARS, end to Police brutality and justice forJimoh as well as the release of arrested innocent youth.”
The lawmaker representing Ibadan North 11 in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebayo Babajide, said he joined the rally because he was once a victim of SARS in 2018.
He said, “I joined them because in Nigeria today, the youth constitutes about 40 per cent of the population and being a youth, I can’t abandon the course. They are part of my success and I’m representing a constituency that is predominantly of young population – the Agowo axis comprising UI and The Polytechnic areas. We have to end all the mess. I was once a victim of SARS in 2018. Thank God for the identity card I carried then; that was what rescued me. We need police reform.”
While addressing the rally, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Rauf Olaniyan, expressed confidence that their demands would be carefully appraised and addressed accordingly. He urged the youth to be peaceful and strategic in their demands, saying, “As I stand before you, I was once a victim of SARS.”
Olaniyan was accompanied by top politicians in the state among whom were the Deputy Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Mohammed Fadeyi; and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Abdulmojeed Mogbojubola.
