Organizers of the October 1 protest against hardship in the country have insisted they would proceed with the ‘showdown’ despite kicks by the Federal Government and warning by the Nigerian Police Force.

A former presidential candidate and activist who is one of the leaders of the planned Oct 1 protest, Omoyele Sowore, gave an update on his social media platform X on Monday, insisting on the action, and saying it would be held across the country.

“NO GOING BACK! #FearlessInOctober”, he wrote on Monday.

The nationwide protest will hold at the Eagles Square Abuja, according to the Sowore.

While giving the nature of the protest, Sowore said protests will be peaceful.

“The protests will hold across all parts of Nigeria because the scale of the devastation, hunger, insecurity, and hardship that this government has unleashed on Nigerians is national.  I will emphasize again that these will be peaceful protests, as they’ve always been.

“The last protests were peaceful, yet the government met the protesters with batons and bullets.

“We will not be deterred, though. Our only weapon is truth, and no amount of force or violence will prevent us from speaking truth to power,” he said.

Between the last protest just two months ago and now, petrol prices have risen by almost N300 per litre. The naira has further devalued, and prices have increased in the market. Bandits have taken over and killed off entire communities. Floods are devastating our cities".

The activist further said hunger pangs have spread across the country, adding that it was necessary for Nigerians to troop out nationwide in protest.

“We are prepared to come out to protest. We are determined to do so peacefully.  I can assure you that thousands of voices will be raised in protest on October 1.

He further added that the pangs of hunger and groans of pain of the Nigerian people will not be drowned out by the government.

Sowore’s insistence comes after the Nigerian Police Force said they had not been notified of any protest.

According to him, Nigerians will hit the streets en mass starting from 7 am on October 1.

In Lagos, the protest organisers plan to commence their march at the Ikeja Under Bridge at 7:30 am.

The Niger State Police Command said it has deployed personnel and security assets.

On Sunday in Minna, the state capital, gun-wielding security operatives were stationed in some of the major places, including popular markets and road junctions.

The Niger State Police Command spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said, “The Niger State Police Command shall deploy an adequate number of personnel and operational assets for public safety and orderliness”. 

The Command had also engaged labour leaders, trades unions, youth and students leaders in the state and other critical stakeholders towards ensuring and sustaining the relative peace that is being enjoyed for economic growth and development of the state.

The Kano State Police Command also confirmed to have deployed its personnel to strategic positions.

In Kaduna, the state police command also said it has taken proactive measures to prevent potential violence during the planned protest in the state.

The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Bethrand Onuoha, advised organisers of the protest to reconsider their plan and give government more time to fix the nation’s economy.

Onuoha stated this on Saturday while engaging with members of the Take It Back Movement, Kogi State chapter at the command’s headquarters in Lokoja.

Security personnel are also preparing in other regions in the country, according to findings.

The National Director of the Take It Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, said preparations for the protest were in “top gear”, noting that they had no plans to go underground as they had done nothing wrong, despite the repressive measures by the Tinubu-led administration.

Similarly, Director of Mobilization for the Take It Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, stated “I’m going nowhere. Protest is not a crime. I will not run, having done nothing wrong.”

Publicity Secretary, Take It Back Movement in Rivers State, Andy Akpotive said the protest was aimed at bringing leaders in the country to accountability.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has maintained that the court directive restricting protests to two designated venues in Lagos still stands.

The state reiterated this as organizers gear up for the upcoming October 1, 2024 protest in Lagos and other states.