The civil society organisation,Take It Back Movement (TIB) has written to the Lagos state police command proposing for a virtual meeting with security agency, citing logistical difficulties for an in-person meeting.
According to reports, the proposal was outlined in a letter sent to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, State Intelligence Department, Jaiyeoba Joseph, by the legal representatives of the group, Inibehe Effiong Chambers on Wednesday.
Key Take it Back members, including National Coordinator Sanyaolu Juwon, were asked by the police in a letter on Tuesday to meet with Olanrewaju Ishola, the newly arrived Commissioner of Police, to talk about issues of national interests.
Anonymous sources inside the organization have voiced concerns that a physical meeting would be a pretext for their arrest.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the public relations officer for the state police, confirmed the invitation to our correspondent on Tuesday, but stressed that it would be a cordial meeting and that there would be no arrests issued.
The police also affirmed that the meeting will include the October protest that is scheduled.
Meanwhile, other executive members were reportedly outside of Lagos and unable to travel for a face-to-face meeting, according to a letter from the movement’s attorneys.
It might not be possible for some of the Take It Back Movement’s key players to physically attend the meeting given the short notice and the fact that they are currently outside of Lagos State.
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We respectfully propose a virtual meeting as an alternative, as this would enable all necessary participants to join remotely and contribute productively to the discussions,” the letter read.
The group also offered to reschedule the meeting if a physical presence was essential, suggesting early October as a possible time when all team members would be available.
The protest, set for October 1, 2024, and tagged ‘FearlessInOctober’ is expected to, among other issues, address the economic hardship in the country, especially as Nigerians battle inflation and the scarcity of fuel.
