Organisers of the ‘RevolutionNow’ protest have vowed to continue their peaceful demonstration on Tuesday, August 6.

They made the disclosure at a press conference held on Monday in Lagos.

The conveners comprising members of a coalition of different civil society organisations said the police fired canisters of tear gas at protesters who gathered peacefully in Surulere area of the state.

They, however, insisted that they would converge on the Freedom Park in Ojota area despite facing resistance from the police today.

Earlier, the police dispersed a crowd of protesters who gathered at the National Stadium in Surulere area of the state.

A number of protesters were arrested and taken into a van marked ‘Lagos State Task Force’.

A journalist with online news platform, Sahara Reporters, was among those arrested as police dispersed the crowd at the venue.

However, the arrest was condemned in a series of tweets by the Socio-Economic Right And Accountability Project (SERAP).

The organisation threatened to take international legal action if the arrested persons continue to remain in custody.

Socio-Economic Right And Accountability Project (SERAP) has called for the release of the ‘RevolutionNow’ protesters and a journalist.

It also threatened to take international legal action if the arrested persons continue to remain in custody.

This followed a protest by a group of individuals who gathered at the National Stadium in Surulere for the march.

The crowd was, however, dispersed by police personnel who arrested some protesters and a journalist with online news platform, Sahara Reporters.

The reporter, who was identified by his colleagues, was said to have failed to show any form of identification before he was arrested.

In its reaction, SERAP condemned the action of the security operatives in a series of tweets on Monday.

It insisted that Nigerians deserve to exercise their constitutional and internationally recognised human right to peaceful protest without fear of being targeted.

“Sections 39 (1) and 40 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) is clear: Stopping people from peacefully exercising their freedom of expression and right to protest is unacceptable and illegal.

“Whoever approved this needs a remedial course in constitutional law,” the human rights organisation said.

SERAP added, “We’re concerned about the reported arbitrary arrest by police of some ‘RevolutionNow’ protesters and a journalist.

“The Nigerian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all peaceful protesters. We’ll pursue international legal action if they’re not released.”

According to the organisation, the situation in Nigeria should not be different from that of Hong Kong and Puerto Rico.

Rowdy scene around the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, where activists held the #RevolutionNow protest on Monday

The police on Monday arrested Victor Ogungbenro, a video editor and cameraman with SaharaReporters and eight others at the RevolutionNow protest in Lagos State.

According to SaharaReporters, the journalist and eight others were taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos State.

A colleague of Ogungbenro, who witnessed the arrest had told SaharaReporters that the video editor was not allowed to identify himself before he was dragged away by armed security officials.

The young lady, who is not named for security reasons, said, “We kept telling them that he is with Sahara Reporters but instead that worsened the case and made them take him away.

“They did not allow him to identify himself. He was beaten and dragged on the floor while being taken away.”

The police in Cross River State on Monday arrested the correspondent of The Nation newspaper in the state, Nicholas Kalu.

He was picked up in Calabar while covering the nationwide ‘RevolutionNow’ protest.

Two other protesters were also allegedly whisked away along with Nicholas from the Cultural Centre muster point opposite the Etim Edem Motor Park to the state Police Command Headquarters at Diamond Hill in Calabar.

There was heavy security presence in Calabar, the state capital ahead of the planned protest. Armoured Personnel Carriers were stationed at strategic locations to foil the protest.

As of the time of this report, it was gathered that efforts were being made by lawyers to bail Kalu as efforts to reach him through several phone calls proved futile.

The Chairman of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr Victor Udu, condemned Kalu’s arrest.

“I condemn the act totally. The journalist was just doing his job. He did not go there with any weapon. He went there with his jotter and pen. We call for his immediate, unconditional release,” Udu said.

When contacted, the state Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Irene Ugbo, told our correspondent, “I’m not on the ground. I have been receiving calls that Nicholas was arrested. I’m not around. I will get back to you.”

Veteran Nigeria rapper, Eedris Abdulkareem has joined the #RevolutionNow protest going on in Lagos State.

Eedris via his Instagram page said that he is Marching for the future of his children and generations yet unborn.

He said, this morning amidst a flurry of teargas canisters being hauled at us by countless armed security operatives!!! Aluta Continua…

Publisher of the online medium, Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, who was also the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the February 2019 General Election, had called for the staging of the #RevolutionNow in what he described as a protest against bad governance in the country.

He was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services at his home on Saturday.

The DSS had said Sowore was arrested “for threatening public safety, peaceful co-existence and social harmony in the country.”

The agency called on Nigerians to disregard “threat of revolution” issued by him.

The organisers of the protest had said they will not be deterred by the arrest of their leader, Sowore.

Nigerian Police and other security agents aborted the planned #RevolutionNow protest, by dispersing the protesters in front of the National Stadium, Surulere, with tear-gas on Monday morning.

Security agencies, including the army, civil defence, and the police, had stationed at the stadium entrances restricting everyone, including workers from entering.

The barricading of the stadium, forced the protesters numbering about 50 to gather under the stadium bridge and began to sing and requesting the police to let them into the stadium.

The police subsequently requested for reinforcement and five patrol vans filled with heavily armed mobile policemen surfaced.

Tear gas were fired and passersby and the protesters ran for safety.

Security agents, including the police and army were still stationed at the National Stadium, Teslim Balogun, Surulere and at the National Theatre, Iganmu and Gani Fawehinmi Park on Ikorodu road, Ojota.

Normalcy has been restored at the scene and members of the public are going about their business peacefully as at the time of filing this report.

All efforts to get the police spokesman’s reaction on number of arrest made during the aborted protest were not successful.

But some sources said persons were arrested in front of the National stadium.

The Deputy Commissioner of police Operations, Mohammed Ali had earlier said the protesters did not obtain permission for the protest.