{"id":127556,"date":"2026-06-11T18:39:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=127556"},"modified":"2026-06-11T18:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:39:24","slug":"june-12-protest-army-blocks-access-roads-to-national-assembly-villa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/june-12-protest-army-blocks-access-roads-to-national-assembly-villa\/","title":{"rendered":"June 12 Protest: Army blocks access roads to National Assembly, Villa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>By John Azu<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Security was tightened across key government districts in Abuja on Thursday as the Nigerian Army blocked major access roads leading to the National Assembly and the Presidential Villa amid fears of planned protests in the Federal Capital Territory.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The military presence triggered traffic disruptions and heightened tension around the Central Business District, with motorists, workers and pedestrians experiencing difficulties accessing offices and adjoining roads.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The development came against the backdrop of ongoing demonstrations by supporters of social media activist, Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, and growing calls by civil society groups for nationwide protests over insecurity, hunger and economic hardship.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sources said the security measures were aimed at preventing protesters from gaining access to strategic government facilities, including the National Assembly complex and the Presidential Villa, ahead of the June 12 Democracy Day celebrations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Supporters of Otse had on Wednesday night staged a march along sections of the Airport Road corridor, including areas around the Nigerian Air Force base, following remarks he made during a recent trip to China in which he criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over the state of the nation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The demonstrations continued into Thursday, with protesters expressing frustration over worsening economic conditions and insecurity across the country.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Witnesses reported that some of the demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans, including: &#8220;Tinubu must go&#8221; and &#8220;APC must go.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The heightened security deployment also coincided with plans by a coalition of civil society organisations, labour activists and community groups to stage nationwide protests on June 12.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The coalition, which comprises trade unions, youth organisations, social movements, faith-based groups and other civic bodies, said Democracy Day offered an opportunity for citizens to draw attention to the country&#8217;s mounting socio-economic and security challenges.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a statement jointly signed by the National Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), Femi Falana (SAN); Hassan Taiwo Soweto of the #EndBadGovernance Movement; and the National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Yinka Folarin, the groups argued that many Nigerians have little cause for celebration.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The coalition cited rising food prices, widespread hardship, unemployment and persistent insecurity as reasons for the planned mass action.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Across the country, communities continue to live in fear as terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements operate with alarming impunity. Innocent Nigerians are being killed, abducted, displaced and traumatized while government responses have remained largely inadequate and ineffective,&#8221; the group said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The organisers said the protests would serve as a peaceful platform for citizens to demand improved security, economic relief and greater government accountability.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thursday&#8217;s developments underscored growing public anxiety ahead of Democracy Day celebrations, as authorities moved to secure critical national institutions while protest groups intensified mobilisation efforts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had not issued an official statement explaining the road closures, although security operatives remained stationed at strategic locations around the National Assembly, Three Arms Zone and adjoining routes leading to the Presidential Villa.<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By John Azu Security was tightened across key government districts in Abuja on Thursday as the Nigerian Army blocked major access roads leading to the National Assembly and the Presidential&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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