TheNewsGuru

Tag: Protesters

  • Families of passengers in Abuja-Kaduna train attack protest, calls on FG to double its efforts in rescuing their loved ones

    Families of passengers in Abuja-Kaduna train attack protest, calls on FG to double its efforts in rescuing their loved ones

    The families of passengers kidnapped by terrorists during the March 28 Abuja-Kaduna train attack have staged a protest at the Radio House in Abuja, calling on the federal government to double its efforts in rescuing their loved ones.

     

    Aliyu Mahmud, a relative of the seven-month pregnant woman, was among the victims’ families who staged a peaceful protest on Thursday.

     

    The protesters, who bore placards, spoke with reporters.

     

    Mahmud said: “I have my sister who is seven months pregnant with her husband. Words cannot explain what they are going through and what we are going through.

     

    “Please, the government should do the needful and let this come to an end as soon as possible. They should try as much as possible to reach out to the perpetrators and rescue our loved ones.

     

    “There are children there, pregnant women, the sick, the aged and only God knows what they are going through. They have been in captivity for ten days, so you can only imagine what they are going through and how it is affecting us.

     

    “Whatever we do, we think of them. When we eat, we think of them. When we sleep, anything we do, we think of them. We are pleading with the government to please do the needful so that this situation will come to an end as soon as possible.”

     

    Another protester, Aminu Uthman, said it had been some difficult ten days since his brother and wife were abducted.

     

    “My immediate younger brother and his wife are amongst the victims. It is a nightmare and the most difficult ten days I have has in my life. I cannot sleep or eat. A lot of things are going wrong.

     

    “The bandits called only once and they gave him the phone to speak to us. They are yet to make any request but they called and he is with them.

     

    “We voted for this government because of insecurity. We had the trust that they would address insecurity. This protest is not for the family members alone, it is for Nigerians generally. This thing can happen to anybody,” he said.

     

    Another relative, Hajia Idayat Yusuf, pleaded for the release of her two sisters.

     

    She said: “It has been hell for me. My two sisters from the same parents were abducted. Some of those abducted have underlying ailments such as ulcers, diabetes, hypertension and there is no medication. We are really concerned.

     

    “In the last ten days, it has been hell, we cannot sleep, and we cannot eat. We are fasting but we are fasting abnormally. We are really begging that the government should come to our rescue.

     

    “Please, the government should come to the aid of those that are alive. We are sorry for those that have lost their lives. We sympathise with the families of those in the hospital but for those alive, at least, bring them back. We are appealing to the government to do something.”

     

    Terrorists on March 28 blew up rail tracks on the Abuja-Kaduna route, killing eight passengers.

     

    No fewer than 41 people were injured. Many were abducted.

     

    The terrorists threatened to kill the other hostages if the government does not do “what we want”.

  • #ENDSARS protesters did nothing wrong-Dede Mabiaku

    #ENDSARS protesters did nothing wrong-Dede Mabiaku

    Veteran musician and actor, Dede Mabiaku has stated that the young Nigerians who protested during the #ENDSARS demonstrations did nothing wrong.

    Mabiaku made this known while sharing the inspiration behind his new single ‘Hooligans and Hoodlums’ dedicated to young Nigerians who protested during the #ENDSARS demonstrations.

    Asked about the inspiration behind the song, he said: “The song is more or less an expression from me about what I received when the government stated that the #EndSARS people were hoodlums and hooligans.I said Ah Ah, how come? No, it doesn’t make any sense, when we all saw everything that happened there (Lekki toll gate) and they claimed that nobody died and so on and so forth.

    So one had to do something, express something in support of all of this that has gone on because these children didn’t do anything, they were organized, they were coordinated and they did not do anything wrong, I repeat, they did not do anything wrong! So we have to speak up and do things that are right in support of what the youths did that was right.So that’s basically where the song sprang up from, that’s why it’s called “Hoodlums and Hooligans”. It’s an exposé as regards what’s going on within the system right now”, he told newsmen

  • #EndSARS Memorial: Sanwo-Olu orders release of arrested protesters

    #EndSARS Memorial: Sanwo-Olu orders release of arrested protesters

    Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday said he has ordered the release of those arrested during the one year anniversary of the #EndSARS protests in the state.

    This followed the memorial procession held on Wednesday at the Lekki tollgate, in hounor of victims of police brutality and to commemorate the one year anniversary of the protests that forced the Nigeria Police to disband its Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

    “Yesterday (Wednesday), we saw a protest in Lagos and everybody that was arrested in connection with the protest has been released, except an individual that was caught with dangerous weapons and who confessed to the police that he joined the protest to cause mayhem,” the governor said.

    He commended the police for identifying and isolating troublemakers from law-abiding people who conducted themselves in line with the laws.

    While extending a hand of fellowship to the youth to be stakeholders in the development of the state, Governor Sanwo-Olu reiterated his commitment to reconciliation.

    He also asked the young citizens to join the rebuilding effort in order to restore the operating capacity of institutions affected in the violence recorded in 2020.

    Speaking on the rebuilding effort, the governor explained that the destruction had slowed down operational activities of the affected public institutions, but stressed that the state government would not shy away from its responsibility to rebuild the facilities and restore their operating capacity.

    Reacting to the report of the Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution being awaited, he said his administration would make the full report available to the public.

    Governor Sanwo-Olu gave an assurance that the government would not make any attempt to cover up the recommendations of the panel, whether it was in its favour or not.

    “The panel concluded its sittings about three days ago and has asked for time to put the reports together behind closed doors,” he said. “We do not know the content of the report, but we want to say publicly that upon the handover of the report, we will be making it public.

    “We will not cover up anything. This is not who we are and that is not what our government stands for.”

     

  • US to #ENDSARS protesters: Engage yourselves politically to realise change you desire

    US to #ENDSARS protesters: Engage yourselves politically to realise change you desire

    The United States Mission to Nigeria has advised #EndSARS protesters to take a political approach in achieving the change they desire in their country.

    The US said this in a Facebook post on Wednesday while also expressing support for ongoing police reforms.

    The post read, “Today is a day to reflect on the loss of life and property during last year’s #EndSARS protests. We appreciate the work done by the various judicial panels and look forward to the implementation of recommendations and compensation to victims of police brutality.

    “We support ongoing police reform efforts. We encourage those who demonstrated for change to engage politically to achieve it.”

    Protesters took to the streets of major cities on Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of the #EndSARS protests of October 2020.

    While the protests were without hitches in Abuja, policemen in Lagos arrested several protesters at the Lekki toll plaza.

  • #EndSARS: Why I ordered my men to fire teargas at protesters in Lekki – Police Commissioner

    #EndSARS: Why I ordered my men to fire teargas at protesters in Lekki – Police Commissioner

    Lagos Commissioner of Police Hakeem Odumosu has said he ordered his officers to fire teargas at the #EndSARS Memorial protesters in Lekki because they went against the promise that the procession will start by 8 am and end by 10 am.

    Odumosu said the action would prevent a breakdown of law and order.

    According to him, any demonstration beyond the agreed time constitutes a nuisance and will not be tolerated.

    He said: “The protest was between 8 am and 10 am, anything, after 10 am, is a nuisance.

    “I discussed with them and they said they will end the protest by 10 o’clock. Other people doing it now are just causing a nuisance. some with machete, hammer, are they protesters or miscreants?

    “The protesters are free; they have done their thing and left. Any other persons remaining are the miscreants, hoodlums that want to capitalise on that to attack innocent people and start robbing people. We will not allow that.”

  • #EndSARS Anniversary: Police arrest two protesters during memorial procession at Lekki Toll Gate

    #EndSARS Anniversary: Police arrest two protesters during memorial procession at Lekki Toll Gate

    Two persons have been arrested during a car procession ongoing at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos State.

    The police arrested the two men on Wednesday morning amid the parade organised to mark the one-year anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.

    “I did not do anything,” said one of the young men before his arrest. “They beat me, they collected my phone, they took my money; the police have not learnt their lessons.”

    Shortly after they were arrested, both men were taken into a waiting truck of the Lagos State Task Force, after which the vehicle zoomed off.

    While the police are stationed at the tollgate for security purposes, officials of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) are maintaining a free flow of traffic.

    One of the protesters was arrested while talking to reporters who were at the tollgate to cover the procession. Before this, there was an altercation between some members of the press and the security officials.

  • BREAKING: Buhari-must-go protesters storm Abuja on 61st Independence Day

    BREAKING: Buhari-must-go protesters storm Abuja on 61st Independence Day

    Demonstrators in the early hours of Friday stormed the Dantata Bridge on the known Airport Road in Abuja, demanding the resignation of the President Muhammadu Buhari

    The protest coincided with the country’s 61st Independence Anniversary.

    The protesters, carrying large banners, made bonfires on the highway.

    As of the time of filing this report, however, heavily armed policemen have dissolved the protesters.

    TheNewsGuru gathered that protesters had just converged at the venue to begin their protest when men of the Nigerian Police invaded the area.

    They fired tear gas canisters and chased them away

    However, it cannot be determined if anyone had been arrested as at he time of filing this report.

    Details later. ..

     

  • BBNaija S6: Pere’s fans invade Lagos streets to demonstrate over white room twist

    BBNaija S6: Pere’s fans invade Lagos streets to demonstrate over white room twist

    Fans of Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eye housemate, Pere, have ivaded the streets of Illupeju in Lagos State, to protest against the twist by Biggie to make their favorite housemate and Angel battle as finalists for the show.

    Different videos have surfaced online showing the protesters wearing branded shirts and placards that read, “#Justice for Pere’ amongst other messages, stormed the Multichoice office on Monday morning.

    TheNewsGuru reports that this happened after Pere and Angel who had faced fake eviction during the Sunday live show were pitted against each other for them to continue as finalists on the show.

    The duo was isolated in a ‘white room’ in the BBNaija house and had to fight their way back into the show through ‘trucks and screwdrivers’, game according to Biggie.

    However, the voting poll shows that Pere had 25.31% of votes while Angel had 14.63%, a fact unknown to the duo.

    Reacting to the variance in the votes, the fans protested, saying that it was unfair for the organisers of the show to make Pere go through the twist when he’s clearly ahead of Angel in the polls.

    As the fans protest the ‘unfairness’ by BBNaija organisers, the circulating videos show that the environment was heavily guarded by security men.

    In a video by BBC Pidgin, ‘One of the protesters said, “If you don’t want him, release him to us. Why the mental stress?”

     

  • [JUST IN] #EndSARS: Forensic expert confirms bullets fired at protesters in Lekki Toll Gate from Nigerian Army

    [JUST IN] #EndSARS: Forensic expert confirms bullets fired at protesters in Lekki Toll Gate from Nigerian Army

    A forensics company, Sentinel Forensic Limited, has said that bullets expelled from firearms during the #EndSARS protest in Lagos on October 20, 2020, were from the Nigerian Army.

    The company’s representative, Joseph Kayode Funsho, disclosed this during an appearance before the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution which sat on Friday.

    According to Funsho, the live ammunition (bullets) were discovered to have been registered to the Nigerian Army.

    He, however, said the blanks didn’t match the records from the Nigerian Army’s inventory.

    The case was, thereafter, adjourned to Saturday, September 11, for further hearing.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG however observed that the company’s findings seem contrary to claims of the Nigerian Army.

    TNG reports that in November 2020, Commander of the 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, Brigadier Ahmed Taiwo, who appeared before the Judicial Panel insisted that only blank bullets containing gunpowder were fired at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20.

    He also insisted that the military only fired into the air and not directly at the #EndSARS protesters.

    While explaining that the blank bullets used, cannot cause any damage to the flesh, Brigadier Taiwo said if real bullets were indeed fired, one bullet had the potency to kill three persons at one shot.

  • Third term: Protesters throw stones at Canada’s PM, Trudeau during campaign

    Third term: Protesters throw stones at Canada’s PM, Trudeau during campaign

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seeking a third term in office in snap elections later this month, has repeatedly faced off against angry protesters on the campaign trail. And now, one has even thrown stones at him.

    The incident happened on Monday as the Liberal Party leader was leaving an event at a microbrewery in London, a city southwest of Toronto in Ontario province. Someone in the crowd threw what appeared to be a handful of gravel at the prime minister, TV images showed.

    Trudeau, members of his security detail and journalists were reportedly struck. No one was injured.

    The incident drew condemnation from Trudeau’s main rival, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, and New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh.

    Trudeau — who has slipped in the polls and is now in a statistical dead heat with O’Toole — has faced off on several recent occasions with what he described as “anti-vaxxer mobs” angry with his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Protesters enraged over proposed mandatory coronavirus vaccines and other crisis measures have shouted racial and misogynist slurs at his entourage.

    Last week, he was forced to cancel an event over security concerns.

    “Yes, there is a small fringe element in this country that is angry, that doesn’t believe in science, that is lashing out with racist, misogynistic attacks,” Trudeau said at a campaign stop.

    “But Canadians, the vast majority of Canadians, are not represented by them, and I know will not allow those voices, those special interest groups, those protesters — I don’t even want to call them protesters, those anti-vaxxer mobs — to dictate how this country gets through this pandemic.”