The Ondo State Police Command has said the arrest of protesters in Akure, the state capital, was to prevent the breakdown of law and order by suspected cultists who have infiltrated the genuine ones.
The African Action Congress (AAC) governorship candidate, Kunle Wizeman Ajayi, and some protesters were arrested by the Police Command on Saturday during the last day of the #EndBadGovernance protest.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya said those arrested were wearing the insignia of Aye confraternity which may attract conflict with rival cult groups.
Odunlami-Omisanya said the Police Command had initially granted permission for the protest to be held at a designated center, but the protesters violated the permit and staged a protest along the major road, which may disrupt the social and commercial activities of the people.
The statement read, “On August 9, 2024, at about 1730hrs, a letter of request was received by the office of the Commissioner of Police from a group codenamed.
“Take it back” of its intention to stage a peaceful protest on August 10, 2024. The letter sought, among others, for Police presence and the approval of a location suitable for the gathering.
“The Commissioner of Police promptly approved Arcade Arena for the gathering and equally directed that the approval information should be communicated to the applicant through a designated phone number on the letter.
“In a demonstration of good faith and the Command’s belief in the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful protest and assembly, the CP directed the deployment of Police presence in the Arcade Arena, securing the arena as early as 0600HRS of 10/08/2024, awaiting the arrival of the group.
“Surprisingly, at about 0900hrs of 10th August 2024, information was received of the presence of some placard-carrying individuals numbering about 10 at the NEPA Roundabout.
“The police detachment, with other security agencies deployed to the NEPA Roundabout because of the commercial activities of the area, approached the group and informed them to proceed to Arcade Arena approved for them.
“They initially resisted but were persuaded by the Police with the promise to escort them as directed by the Commissioner of Police.
“It is worthy to mention that the group of 10 grudgingly accepted to go; however, between NEPA Roundabout and Officers Mess, the number swelled to about 50.
“Physical and intelligence assessment of the increasing crowd suggested the infiltration of malicious elements as efforts by the police team on the ground to prevent these intruders resulted in the protesters becoming unruly.
“Additionally, a Passionate plea by the security forces to the protesters to move out of the road and allow free flow of traffic was rebuffed, making the situation shy of a peaceful protest as the rights of other citizens were being infringed upon.
“As a responsible agency charged with the maintenance of law and order, and for the safety of the protesters, toxic members of the group were moved to the State Criminal Investigations Department for onward assessment as to what could have triggered the infiltration of Ill-intended individuals into the protest.”
The Police said investigations later revealed that the insignia on the beret of the protesters had a resounding resemblance to that of the Aye Confraternity, which attracted members and rival groups. Another investigation, it said, suggested that certain members of the protesting group were suspected of cultism and cyber crime activities.
Odunlami-Omisanya said the command acted without the prompting of any politician or political class, saying they acted within the ambit of the law.
It said that the arrests were made based on a security assessment of the situation and the obvious emergence of violence.
The police spokesperson said the high-profile nature of some of the arrested suspects posed a significant security threat to the state and Nigeria at large.
