The August 1 nationwide protest organisers have insisted on marching across the country as stipulated in the letter written to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Egbetokun had suggested that the protest should be held in confined places, to avoid being hijacked by hoodlums.
However, the organisers maintained that the protest would be a public march..
Human rights lawyer and senior advocate, Femi Falana, and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, the lawyer representing Take-It-Back Movement, held a meeting with the IGP in Abuja on Tuesday.
The meeting was arranged after Adegboruwa wrote a letter on behalf of Take-It-Back Movement to the IGP, seeking police protection during the protest.
Egbetokun conveyed his worries during the meeting, which was conducted via Zoom, stating that there could be sinister motive by some Nigerians who would want to take advantage to perpetrate violence.
The IGP assured the protest organisers of the police commitment to protect the rights of all citizens and ensure all public gatherings are safe for everyone.
Egbetokun also asked them to engage with their respective state police commissioners to coordinate the protest.
However, Adegboruwa said the designated venues stated in the letter to the IGP are mere points of convergence for the protesters.
“We will stick to the venues, which we have specified to the police, but those venues are only points of convergence. They are just places where we are to start the protest,” the human rights lawyer said.
Also, Falana, Adegboruwa, and other stakeholders asked the IGP some questions about the coordination of the protest.
The nationwide protest, with the theme ‘#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria’, is scheduled to start on August 1.
The federal government and President Bola Tinubu have asked the youths to shelve the planned protest but they have insisted on going ahead.
