Despite an early morning broadcast by President Bola Tinubu addressing all parties involved in the End Bad Governance In Nigeria protest, violence erupted in Lagos on Sunday as hoodlums invaded the Ojota venue of the protest to disperse demonstrators.
The hoodlums disrupted the fourth day of a peaceful protest at Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota, Lagos State. This incident follows reports of churches in Katsina state losing valuable property to hoodlums on the first day of the protests.
Tinubu had appealed to the protesters to relax their action, assuring that the government had heard their requests. Notwithstanding, the Sunday demonstration, which began without incident, took on uncertain dimensions around 10:30 a.m.
Tensions flared when a lawyer identified only as JP urged protesters to leave the site, citing President Bola Tinubu’s recent national address. However, a faction led by 70-year-old Adegboyega Adeniji of Peace Action Transformation insisted on continuing the protest.
The police intervened, attempting to persuade the remaining protesters to disperse. Moments later, a group of individuals, whom the protesters alleged were hired to disrupt the event, emerged from across the street and began chasing them away. By 11:30 a.m., the situation had deteriorated as the group of hoodlums returned and forced all protesters out of the area. The police have since established a presence at the park.
Earlier in the day, security agents had restricted protesters from marching beyond the designated area at Gani Fawehinmi Park. The protesters complied and returned to the specified location.
In Katsina, no fewer than 205 chairs, musical instruments, and other equipment worth millions of naira were reported stolen by hoodlums on the first day of the protest against hardship. The hoodlums invaded a Living Faith Church in the Daura Local Government Area of the state, looting 205 chairs, musical instruments, and other valuable items worth millions of naira.
Due to the invasion, the Pastor in charge of the church, David Sarki, stated that the church service could not be held. He said, “Because the hoodlums took everything inside the church on the first day of the protest, they decided to worship at their various home cells. We have two security personnel working in the church; one was on duty while the other was off. When the protest began around 10:00 a.m., the hoodlums just diverted to the church, many of them in Keke Napep (tricycle), broke the door and windows and entered the church auditorium.”
“They took everything inside the church auditorium, including the wall digital clock, musical instruments, pulpit, pastor’s chairs, plastic chairs, a desktop computer at the reception, and a scoreboard where the accountant usually kept church documents. They scattered everything.”
“Three churches were their target. They succeeded in invading the Living Faith Church and Deeper Life but couldn’t gain access to the third one, which is the Anglican Church, because of the strong protection at the gate.”
He added, “We have informed the police and the army about it, and the police told us yesterday that they have made some arrests. I am surprised by this attack. When we are thinking about ending bad governance protests, which have now escalated to the invasion of churches, it is something that everyone should seriously condemn. It is not food that we store in the house of God; it is a place of worship. Why is it only a church? The government should come to the reality that they are serving humanity, and God will judge us all, whether political or religious leaders.”
“My prayer for the perpetrators is that they should repent from what they are doing because for you to enter a church, a place of worship, is wrong, and you know you are not fighting man. They should seek repentance. I know God is forgiving, and He will forgive them.”
Similarly, the Pastor in charge of Power of Resurrection in Katsina State, Nelson Onyekachuku, whose church was also invaded by the hoodlums during the protest in Katsina town, lamented the vandalisation of the church windows as the hoodlums could not gain access to the building due to the iron protectors of the church gate. Onyekachuku, who is also the former state Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Katsina, condemned the action entirely, noting that they should not add to the pain of the church.
He called on the government to change its policy, address the issues of the people, and always ensure the protection of the church whenever such an incident happens.
