The organisers of the ongoing hunger protests in major states in Nigeria have disowned its solicitor, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN.
They also refused Adegboruwa’s call on them to suspend the protests amid rioting and widespread violence.
The organisers said the solicitor is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) who lives well and never hungry, submitting that he can’t speak for the hungry Nigerians.
They, therefore, declared that Adegboruwa is not in a position to give directive on when the protests should end or otherwise.
Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilisation of the Take It Back Movement, clarified this when he spoke on Channels Television on Friday.
The Daily Crucible reports that Adegboruwa had earlier on that Friday used his Facebook page to call on the protesters to cease action, fearing that the protest had been hijacked leading to loss of lives and properties.
“I appeal to the protesters to withdraw themselves from their various protest grounds and to suspend the protests immediately and indefinitely, in order to give room for meaningful dialogue and engagement with the government.
“Given that the protests were said to have been hijacked by sponsored agents, it is necessary to avoid further losses and casualties. The organisers of the protests and their representatives should embrace dialogue with the government,” he stated.
But Adenola said Adegboruwa does not speak for his group, though the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) had written to security agencies to seek protection for them before the rallies.
He maintained that the planned 10-day hunger protests will continue despite Adegboruwa’s pleas.
“Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa is not our lawyer and he doesn’t speak for us. He might have presented himself as the solicitor but he is not hungry.
“He is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who lives well. He is not hungry like the people taking over the streets.
“We are waiting for the government to respond to us and address our demands. And until then, the protests continue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police, on Saturday, said a total of 618 suspects have been arrested in connection with the looting, vandalism and other various violent crimes trailing the ongoing nationwide protest against hunger and economic hardship which began on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
Force spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, saying the suspects were arrested in Abuja, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, and Sokoto.
Adejobi also disclosed that 9 Officers sustained various degrees of injuries during attacks by the protesters.
He said a police officer, who was reported murdered on Day One of the protests has “miraculously survived” the attack.
“Nine (9) police officers sustained various degrees of injuries during attacks by protesters. One of them who initially was reported dead, miraculously survived but remains in critical condition,” he said.
