The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), FCT Council, to shelve its planned solidarity protest scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, 2026, citing security concerns within the nation’s capital.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Command said it was aware of the planned protest and reaffirmed its respect for citizens’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and expression. It also assured residents of its readiness to provide adequate security for all lawful activities in the FCT.
However, the police disclosed that intelligence reports available to the Command indicated plans by the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and other non-state actors to infiltrate and hijack the protest, a development it said could threaten public peace, safety and security.
Based on these concerns, the Command appealed to the organisers to consider rescheduling the protest to a later date, stressing that the advisory was issued in the overriding interest of public safety and the prevention of a possible breakdown of law and order.
The police further stated that the appeal was also aimed at safeguarding the rights of other residents to freedom of movement and the uninterrupted conduct of lawful daily activities in the capital.
Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has countered the police advisory, urging the Command to refrain from actions that could discourage or delay lawful protests.
In a statement by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, RULAAC called on the police to engage constructively with the NLC to agree on appropriate security arrangements, deploy adequate personnel, and ensure that policing of the protest—if it proceeds—is professional, restrained and compliant with human rights standards.
Nwanguma said while the police have a duty to protect lives and property, advising the postponement of a protest on the basis of alleged or undisclosed intelligence amounted to a prior restraint on constitutionally guaranteed rights.
He cited Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and Articles 10 and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, noting that the right to peaceful assembly does not require police permissiTn and cannot be suspended on speculative grounds.
RULAAC also noted that Nigerian courts, including the Supreme Court, have consistently held that the role of the police is to facilitate and secure peaceful protests rather than prohibit, postpone or discourage them.
The organisation expressed concern over what it described as the recurring reliance on claims of potential infiltration by “non-state actors” as justification for advising against lawful protests, arguing that such risks impose a duty on the police to provide intelligence-led protection, not to restrict civic action.
According to RULAAC, public safety and fundamental freedoms are not mutually exclusive, stressing that in a democratic society, peaceful protests should be protected even when they are inconvenient or critical of government policies.
By Linus Aleke, Abuja
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