#EndSars Memorial: At Last, Youths Troop Out To Protest Police Brutality In Osun

Some youths in Osun State have made their threats as they took over the street of Osogbo, Osun State capital with the #EndSARS memorial protest on Wednesday.

Like any other states of federation, the protesters defied the threat by the police to hold the memorial protest in the state.

The protest has been peaceful so far.

The protesters were armed with placards, one of which read: “End bad governance.”

CityMirrorNews correspondent who monitored the protest reports that the protesters started their protest around Itaolokan area at about 12: 00 pm, on Wednesday.

The protesters demanded for good governance just as they noted that police had not stopped brutalising the innocent people of the country.

The operatives of the police force had placed its personnel at strategic places in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

The police have taken over Ola-Iya, Old-Garage, Oke-Fia, Kaleyemi, and other places where protests were held in the past.

Meanwhile, a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Yemisi Opalola had warned youths and groups of people not to embark on protest in commemoration of the first anniversary of #ENDSARS.

“Commissioner of Police has given marching orders to the Area commanders, Divisional Police Officers and Tactical units to be at alert and nip in the bud any act capable of truncating the peace of the state.

The CP advised parents and guardians to warn their wards to be law-abiding, and desist from such planned protest/gathering/ assembly as the State Police Command will arrest and prosecute defaulters.”

However, some youths under the aegis of Osun Civil Society Movement had ruled out street demonstrations and protest to mark the memorial anniversary of last year’s #EndSARS nationwide protests.

One of the leaders of the youths Ayo Ologun disclosed that “we are holding a programme at Aurora Event Center, Osogbo today to commemorate the anniversary and after that, there will be candlelight procession within the premises. We are not holding street demonstrations or protests.

“It is a constitutional right of anybody to protest so if any youths embark on street protest today they have police to deal with. At our own programme, what we will do is to dialogue on #EndSARS issues, lessons learnt and the regrets.”

While featuring on a private radio station, RAVE FM, during a talk show programme on Wednesday, one of the leaders of #EndSARS in Osun, Queen Aderemi said, “we are peacefully engaging government since they are ready to dialogue with us. If they we would have embarked on street protests like Lagos and Abuja but there is a programme organized to commemorate the memorial anniversary.”