The organisers of the nationwide protests against hardship have announced specific locations across the country where people can gather for public demonstrations.

A Lagos high court has ordered that any protests planned for Lagos State on August 1st must be confined to specific locations: Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park in the Ketu area of the state.

It would be recalled that Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had directed the organisers of the protest to submit to Force Headquarters contact information of those organising the protest, as well as designated points and routes of the protest.

This is even as they directed Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, to withdraw soldiers deployed across the Federal Capital Territory and other cities prior to the proposed protest.

Also on Tuesday, an organiser of the protest, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju, urged the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to withdraw troops deployed within the Federal Capital Territory and other cities ahead of the proposed hunger protest.

The military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, denied that the troop deployment was intended to intimidate protesters. He explained that the military regularly deploys troops across the country to combat terrorism and insurgency, and this deployment was no different.

Meanwhile, in a written communication addressed to the Chief of Army Staff on Tuesday, Adeyanju stated that providing security during protests was the job of the police.

He pointed out that the deployment of soldiers to control protests in Kenya and during the 2020 #EndSARS demonstrations led to violent unrest.

“We write as a law firm dedicated to human rights; we are alarmed by the deployment of Nigerian Army troops in the Federal Capital Territory and other areas to quash the planned nationwide protest on August 1, 2024."