The head of the police, Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun, stated that neither the police nor the military used excessive force or live bullets during the #EndBadGovernance protests. He mentioned that the security forces, which also included other agencies, only used teargas to manage the protests.
During a meeting in Abuja with other security heads, Egbetokun clarified that the police and military faced attacks from some protesters but did not respond with live ammunition. He emphasized that claims of excessive force were false and called them fake news.
Egbetokun pointed out that many of their officers were injured during the protests and are still in critical condition. He denied using other crowd-control measures such as water cannons or rubber bullets, asserting that teargas was the only tool deployed.
Addressing the impact of the protests on law enforcement, he mentioned that despite the challenges, the police were not overwhelmed. They had reserve units that were not even used, and they managed to arrest criminals for various offenses, excluding kidnapping, which did not occur during the protests.
Regarding an incident in Kaduna, Egbetokun explained that an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was not hijacked by protesters. He clarified that the APC, initially stationed at the Government House, was approached by protesters but was not taken over. The driver simply returned to the Government House gate after encountering the protesters.
The police chief reassured that security forces managed the protests without using undue force and continued to perform their duties effectively despite the unrest.
