#EndSARS Protesters Defy Military, Match Amid Heavy Deployment of Soldiers

Protesters Defy Military, Match Amid Heavy Deployment of Soldiers

#EndSARS protesters on Monday defied the presence of security operatives in Abuja, the nation's capital.

The demonstrators carrying the national flag converged on the Aya roundabout in continuation of the protests that have entered its 12th day.

Soldiers had blocked the scenes of planned #EndSARS in Abuja early in the morning.

The military officers were stationed at the popular Aya roundabout early Monday morning, with a roadblock and barricade.

Also, police officers were stationed in front of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) headquarters with Armoured Personnel Carrier and water cannons.

Protesters had defied 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.

However, security operatives were deployed across the Federal Capital Territory ahead of the Monday's protest.

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