#EndSARS: Makinde vows to protect genuine protesters, deploys Operation Burst
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, says that the state government’s Operation Burst will continue to protect genuine protesters and their right to protest, as nobody should be brutalized for protesting.
The Governor announced this in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after the Lagos State Government announced a curfew over violence caused by hoodlums clashing with protesters and the police.
It was gathered last week that Makinde questioned why State Governors are called Chief Security Officers and don’t have the necessary powers to control police force due to rising cases of police brutality on protesters.
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In today’s statement, the Governor said, “Peaceful protests are an important part of our democratic processes and no one should be aroused or brutalized for protesting. For this reason, we deployed members of Operation Burst to protect protesters and we are happy to report that there have been no cases of disruptions of protest grounds in Oyo State since they started work.”
The Governor added that some thugs are also forcing people to close their shops. He disclosed that the state government knows these are criminal elements and insists the state will protect its citizens by deploying more members of Operation Burst to various hotspots in Ibadan to restore order.
Makinde said the team will continue to protect genuine protesters and remain committed to meeting the demands of the protesters, while also announcing the release of arrested #EndSARS protesters, and informing residents of the setting up of a platform for reporting past and present cases of police brutality.
