Protests: IGP never ordered curfew —Police

The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has denied reports that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, imposed a strict curfew starting from 4pm for all protests.

In a statement signed by Police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the IGP never gave such order.

“Following the recent misinformation regarding the imposition of a curfew ahead of the planned nationwide protest, It has come to our attention that some news outlets, particularly dockaysworld.com.ng, have reported that the Inspector General of Police has imposed a strict curfew starting at 4 p.m. for all protests. This information is entirely false and mischievous,” the statement read.

“The NPF hereby categorically states that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has not declared any curfew. Additionally, it is pertinent to state that such information would have been communicated via the official Nigeria Police Force platforms were it true.

“The false publication suggesting otherwise is a product of the authors’ imaginations and does not represent the position of the Nigeria Police.”

The Police urge all media outlets and the general public to disregard the misinformation and rely on official statements from the Force or other authorized government agencies.

A nationwide protest is set to hold from August 1 to 10 in Nigeria due to economic hardship under the current government.

On Monday, the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada issued security alerts to their citizens in Nigeria, warning of potential violence during the planned nationwide protests.

In separate travel advisories, the three countries cautioned their citizens to avoid areas where confrontations between security agencies and protesters might occur.