Residents of Rivers State have come out en-masse to protest against police brutality and extortion despite a ban placed on the agitation by their governor, Nyesom Wike.
The protesters converged at Pleasure Park, Port Harcourt at 8.45 AM and went on to march around major streets in the city, lamenting harassment by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) as well as the killings of innocent youths.
Some of the protesters who spoke with newsmen said they had the inalienable right to protest regardless of the ban placed by the state governor.
“The governor said what he said, it is within my constitutional right to protest. We are simply asking for police reform and justice for victims of police brutality,” Ms Okechukwu told newsmen.
It would be recalled that Governor Nysom Wike had earlier issued a statement, declaring that all proposed protests under #EndSARS campaign were prohibited because the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had already scrapped SARS.
According to him, there was no need to protest against a unit of the police force that no longer exists.
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