Hunger Protest: IGP Egbetokun Says Police Didn't Use Live Ammunition on Protesters

• Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has said security forces did not use live ammunition against protesters during the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations
• Since August 1, the #EndBadGovernance protests in Nigeria have been marred by violence, leading to looting and property damage in several areas
• Egbetokun reported that some police officers were assaulted and are now in critical condition, but stressed that there was no excessive use of force

FCT, Abuja - Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), has clarified that security forces did not use live ammunition against protesters during the #EndBadGovernance demonstration.

Legit.ng recalls that Since August 1, Nigerians have been protesting under the banner of #EndBadGovernance, seeking solutions to pressing issues such as the escalating cost of living and growing insecurity.

Unfortunately, the demonstrations have escalated into violence in certain areas, leading to incidents of looting and property damage.

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Egbetokun, in a press briefing on Tuesday, August 6, made certain clarifications about the use of force in Abuja.

He maintained that agencies refrained from deploying "excessive force" during the protests, TheCable reported.

Egbetokun: Protesters assaulted police operatives

He reported that some security personnel were assaulted during the event and that injured police officers are now in critical condition in the hospital.

He said:

"The police and the military, and indeed no other security agency involved in the management of this protest, have deployed excessive use of force."

“Instead, what we had were attacks on security agents during the protest. From our record, there was no shooting incident by the police."

Ammunition wasn't deployed against protesters, Egetokun clarifies

As reported by Channels Television, the IGP, while dismissing claims that police shot at unarmed protesters as "fake news", also said:

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“The police or military did not use any live ammunition in the management of these protests.

“I will dismiss that as fake news and very wrong allegations. We didn’t use excessive force at all.”

Protests: We've identified, blocked accounts of sponsors - IGP

In a related development, Legit.ng reported that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has announced that the police and security agencies have successfully identified and cut off sources of external funding fueling violent protests in Nigeria.

Egbetokun made this announcement during a joint press briefing led by Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, at the Defence Headquarters, on Tuesday, August 6.

Source: Legit.ng