Breaking: Soldiers, Police Take Over Abuja; Clear Protesters |The Source

By Gideon Njoku

The Federal Government may have started an implementation of its threat to use a show of  force to break the nationwide protests which have lasted for eleven days, as at Monday.

Thousands of Nigerian youths  had taken to the streets to protest atrocious activities of the now defunct SARS, and in the process, shut down cities including Abuja and Lagos. Economic activities grounded.

The protesting youths who started by asking for the scrapping of SARS, with a hashtag #EndSARS, have since expanded their requests even after the FG, through the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, dissolved SARS, and in its place, set-up SWAT. The protesting youths have since rejected SWAT, dismissing it as “an old wine in.a new bottle.”

On Sunday, because of the violence which has suddenly accompanied the once peaceful exercise in some states, notably Edo, Lagos, Kwara, and Osun State,  where the Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, was physically attacked by the protesters, the Minister for Information,  Lai Mohammed, had threatened  that the FG will not fold its hands and allow the reign of  anarchy.

On Saturday, the Army announced that its annual exercise, where it shows off its force, code-named Operation Crocodile Smile would take off on Monday, October 20, and end on December 30.

Many thought the exercise was an indirect way to break up the protests, but the army, in a statement on Sunday, refuted it, saying it was only their annual exercise aimed at flushing out criminals.

However, in Abuja, Monday morning, reports confirm that the Army and Police have taken over the roads.

At the Central Bank on Nigeria, CBN, where the Protesters had camped out Sunday evening, there was no trace of any of them Monday morning.  In their place were  Army and Police personnel. The story was the same along the Airport road, which the protesters had blocked, and caused many. Including, allegedly, the FCT Minister, to miss their flights.

The soldiers, so deployed, are searching vehicles, to rule out any mischief.

Free movement has been restored, and street sweepers are back to their beat.

However, Monday morning in Lagos, the situation remained the same with protesters blocking roads.