Soldiers in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital have blocked the scene for today’s planned #EndSARS protest.
The Soldiers were stationed at the popular AYA roundabout early Monday morning, with a roadblock and barricade.
Recall that the protesters had planned to take their protest to the AYA roundabout, a point that links residents of Nyanya, Mararaba, Jikwoyi, Karshi, Karu and Orozzo to the city centre.
Also, police officers have been stationed in front of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) headquarters with Armoured Personnel Carrier and water cannons.
Protesters had defied the Sunday night rain and camped overnight outside CBN headquarters protesting police brutality and extra-judicial killings.
The Nigerian Army on Sunday said its ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ which is kicking off across the country this week is not targeted at the #EndSARS protests.
A statement issued by the Army Spokesperson Musa Sagir on Saturday noted that the exercise, scheduled to commence from October 20 to December 31, 2020, has no relationship with any lawful protest under any guise whatsoever.
“For the records, Exercise Crocodile Smile is a yearly exercise in the Nigerian Army calendar/forecast of events which traditionally holds from October to December of each year,” the statement read in part.
See photos of scenes of planned Abuja #EndSARS protest blocked by soldiers and others:
Channels TV/ The Street Journal