Thousands of #EndSARS protesters on Friday paralyzed commercial activities in further demonstration against police brutality in Nigeria.
In Abeokuta, the angry youths as early as 6am laid siege at strategic locations and halted free flow of vehicular movement in the state capital.
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The popular NNPC Under Bridge leading to Kuto and Okemosan was completely shut down as protesting youths took over the road, singing solidarity songs.
Hiphop star Kizz Daniel among other celebrities participated in the protest.
Apart from some operatives of the NSCDC, police officers were conspicuously missing at the locations.
Other locations taken over by the protesters are Panseke in Abeokuta, Sagamu, Sango – Ota and Ijebu – Ode.
Some of the inscriptions on their placards read “Our voices must be heard”; “SARS Na Fraudster#EndSARS”; “No More Audio Ban”; “Say No to Police Brutality”; “Iphone no be gun. ”
Speaking with Daily Trust Saturday, one of the protesters, Wisdom Ogbona said “It is something that is well known now that the excesses of these officers have become too much that we can’t even walk as free man on the street. Everybody tends to be a criminal and it shouldn’t be that way. We youths are tired of this, we have been tagged lazy Nigerian youths but all we want now is to live our lives.
“We don’t want them at all. If they are to be in the force they should change their mindsets, they should counsel them that is what we want.
When asked if SARS operatives are the problem in Nigeria, he responded, “maybe we have to start from somewhere because this is leading us to where we want to be. The leadership is a problem but if we don’t start with these people (SARS), they won’t know that we have the energy, we have what it takes to take them out of that place. When we are done with the SARS, we will be heading thing.”
A veteran Nollywood actor, Yemi Sodium said, “What we are seeing today and indeed for the past few days is the result of not paying attention to a whole generation. You cannot continue to do the same thing the same way over a long period of time and expect a different result. These young ones are asking for a paradigm shift and whether we like it or not, we have to listen to them.”
