At the Rivers State Police Command’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, the capital of the Rivers State, teargas was fired at protesters on Monday morning.
When the protesters gathered at the protest site as early as 9am, heavy police officers greeted them.
The young demonstrators told the policemen, who had warned them not to hold the protest, that no one could tell them where to gather.
Some of the protesters were chased away by police, including journalists who were reporting the incident.
In a letter dated April 3, 2025, the protesters had previously informed the police command that they intended to stage the demonstration.
Read more about Youths’ Stage Protests in Lagos, Oyo, and Rivers Defy Police Warning.
One of the protesters claimed to be expressing their concerns to the government during the “peaceful protest.” He had stated, “We are not here for violence.”
The demonstrator cited the governor’s suspension and the repeal of the Cybercrime Act as some of their grievances.
“As it stands, we don’t have any government,” she said. Our people don’t associate with this unconstitutional, alien government in Rivers State. We are here to demand that our governor resign and take appropriate leadership. The governor is not the sole administrator, but we do so under a social contract. He claimed that this was democracy.
Similar demonstrations have already taken place in Lagos, Oyo, and other Federation states, with demonstrators calling for good governance.
On Sunday, police called on the organizers of the nationwide protest to put the plan on hold, citing a number of national issues.
Given that the protest was scheduled to coincide with the National Police Day celebration, Force spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi had criticised the timing of the demonstration.
The justification for holding a nationwide protest on the same day is, however, dubable and thought to be a deliberate attempt and unpatriotic act capable of defaming and demonizing the image of the Nigeria Police and the entire country.
