A protest in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, took a rowdy turn on Monday as police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators who defied orders to vacate the streets.
The protesters, made up of members of the Take It Back Movement, Civil Society Organisations, and the Niger Delta Congress, had gathered at Isaac Boro Park to stage a rally against the alleged misuse of the Cybercrime Act.
Upon arrival, operatives of the Rivers State Police Command reportedly ordered the crowd to relocate to another venue. Undeterred, the protesters began chanting solidarity songs and marched from the park towards the busy Aba Express Road.
The situation escalated when the demonstrators reached the CFC Junction, where armed anti-riot police intercepted them once again. After the protesters refused to disperse, officers launched tear gas canisters into the crowd, forcing many to flee in different directions for safety.
The protest organisers had insisted that the rally would go on as planned, maintaining their stand against the use of the Cybercrime Act to suppress freedom of expression and civic activism.
