…Police fire tear gas canisters at protesters who converged on Gani Fawehinmi Park.
By Our Reporter
ABUJA – The protests held across the country on Saturday to mark Democracy Day were marred by low turnout, police resistance and arrests, especially in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Lekki area of Lagos, where a bloody ambush on #EndSARS protesters was recorded on October 20, 2020, was mostly calm on Saturday as residents shunned calls for protests.
The Admiralty Circle Plaza and Ikoyi Link Bridge toll gates were the scenes of shootings by soldiers, after hundreds of youths had gathered there to express their grievances over alleged police brutality and poor governance.
Sunday PUNCH reports that despite rumours of protests in some parts of Lagos, vehicles moved freely on Lekki-Epe Expressway amid the presence of security agents, while pedestrians were seen going about their business as shops and supermarkets were partially opened to attend to customers.
Visibly delighted about the near-calm atmosphere, a resident, Mr Emmanuel Ndubuisi, said the #EndSARS protests had taught Lagosians lessons they would not forget in a hurry.
He said the lessons learnt by residents of the area during the last bloody clash had made them to think twice before embarking on any adventure.
Ndubuisi said, “Many people with offices in the area recorded huge losses, so no one will want to experience such a crisis again. I am happy we are at peace in this part of Lagos now; this is how a sane society should be.”
Another resident, Mr Tosin Adeboyejo, urged youths to pursue peace at all times and develop themselves. Adeboyejo said, “The youth in our country are our future. Parents, guardians and even the government must invest in them. The youth themselves should also develop themselves by ensuring they get good education and skills, so that they can be useful to both themselves and society.”
Despite the peaceful atmosphere in the state, men of the Lagos State Police Command, on Saturday morning, fired tear gas canisters at protesters who converged on Gani Fawehinmi Park venue in the Ojota area of the state to demand an end to bad governance. Transport union workers also joined in to disperse the protesters.
They also fired canisters at peaceful protesters at the Ketu area of the state.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, later said five persons suspected to have participated in protests were arrested in front of the park, though he added that the suspects had been released.
Odumosu, who spoke during a visit to the park, said, “As of now, no suspect is being detained in connection with the protest. I want to emphasise that no single person is in police custody as a result of the protest (as at 1.30pm). Five persons were arrested at Ojota, I ordered my men to release them. I thank God no one was injured, no vehicle was also damaged.”
The police commissioner noted that everywhere he visited was calm; adding that reports from officers showed that everywhere was calm in the state.
Odumosu said the police had nothing against protesters, as long as they provided prior information about their protest and ensured peaceful conduct in order to enjoy the protection of the law enforcement agents.
According to him, information sent out by the protesters on social media asking residents to sit at home created panic in the state.
The police commissioner added that his men were deployed to various areas identified as blackspots as early as 2am on Saturday, saying his directive to his men was that protesters had the right to do so peacefully.
The police boss also defended the gunshots fired by his men at the Ojota area of the state.
“I also advised the protesters to write to the state government to make use of parks for their protest. That way, they will not block the major roads and cause heavy traffic. While they have the right to protest, other road users have the right of free movement on the road as well.
“The police gunshots this morning at Ojota were as a result of some people blocking the roads leading in and out of Lagos at Ojota. I have the recorded video. The protesters may have good intentions, but criminally minded people blocked the road to commit crimes.
“I quickly ordered my men to appeal to the protesters to leave the road and use minimum force to liberate the road so that those going out of Lagos or coming in will not be held up in traffic, particularly this time where we have traffic robbery,” he said.
