Organisers lament as security outnumber protesters in Osun

Some of the organisers of the the nationwide #FearlessInOctober protest have lamented the low turnout of youths at the demonstration which commenced in Osogbo, Osun State capital on Tuesday morning.

The number of protesters who converged at Old Garage as of about 8:30 was very scanty.

Checks by The Guardian showed that the number of security operatives outnumbered that of the available protesters.

When our correspondent approached one of the leaders of the EndBadGovernanceProtest, he craved anonymity, saying “The truth is that some of us have been bought.”

Another organiser said President Bola Tinubu’s 64th Independence Anniversary speech where he made mention of a forthcoming youth conference, would have made some of the youths in the state change their minds.

”Some of our youths decided not to show up again after hearing of the Youth Conference. They felt that participating in the protest may disqualify them from being picked,” he said.

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All the same, the protest, organised by the coalition for concerned Nigerians, started fully at about 10:00 am with the protesters, whose number had increased, singing anti-government songs and displaying placards with several inscriptions.

The protesters said the demonstration was a reaction to the government’s failure to address the economic hardship in the country.

They gathered at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, and later moved to the Oke Fia Area of the state capital.

Security operatives from the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the Correctional Service moved along with the protesters to forestall a breakdown of law and order.