Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Adams Oshiomhole, says resisting protesters is an “uncomfortable responsibility” the police have to take.
“Is there anywhere in the world where you haven’t seen protests being resisted by the police? It is an uncomfortable responsibility they have to take,” he said on Channels Television’s The August Protests show on Saturday.
“When I was leading workers when they tear-gassed us, we sometimes had the antidote; we threw the tear gas back.”
Asked about his position on incidents of police tear-gassing protesters in major cities across Nigeria since Thursday, the former Edo governor said protest is not a tea party and security agencies might have to use different methods to resist protesters.
“If police believe that you might have to destroy or kill someone, they might have to use those methods. Any protest is a struggle; it is not a tea party.
“So, I, of course, did not celebrate that but I saw a commissioner of police in one state procuring not tear gas but water to give to those who were protesting peacefully,” he said.
The ex-president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) commended the “civil” conduct of the police as the #EndBadGovernance protests entered the third day, saying police gave sachet water to peaceful protesters in states like Lagos.
“It is not about how the police respond now but in totality, the police under this IG has been quite civil,” he said.
He faulted the demands of some “amorphous groups” who rejected the results of the 2023 presidential election and took to the streets to join those protesting against hunger and economic hardship.
He said Nigeria is not under foreign occupation so therefore the protesters can’t talk about reclaiming Nigeria.
“Some people want regime change. You cannot peacefully demand that because the Constitution forbids you to make demands that are unlawful within the position of the Constitution.
“The only legitimate for those who lost the election is that they must, as of necessity, under the constitution, wait for the next round of elections. Till then, there is nothing they can do. If they seek to short-circuit the system, there will be a problem,” he said.
