The police on Wednesday fired a tear gas canister at the Lekki tollgate where celebrities and youths held a memorial car procession in Lagos State.
Scores of youths, including celebrities were participating in the parade amid the presence of armed security operatives before they were dispersed.
The procession, held in hounor of victims of police brutality, was organised to commemorate the one year anniversary of the #EndSARS protests that led to the disbandment of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police.
As earlier as 8am, many of the young Nigerians filled up several cars and buses, blaring horns as they drove through the toll plaza.
As the event continued, the number of youths at the venue grew while others came down from their cars, chanting solidarity songs.
A drama also played out as an altercation ensued between members of the press and the security operatives after the journalists were harassed by the police at the venue.
Two persons were arrested by the police. One of them was picked up by armed security operatives while he was having a chat with reporters.
Miscreants, Not Protesters
In his reaction, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu, who was also at the venue, said the police did not disperse the youths taking part in the procession.
Rather, he stated that the security operatives fired tear gas to disperse those he described as miscreants at the venue.
But the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu, who was also at the venue, said the police did not disperse the youths taking part in the procession.
Rather, he stated that the security operatives fired tear gas to disperse those he described as miscreants at the venue.
“We did not fire canister to disperse protesters,” he told Channels Television at the venue of the parade. “If you have your recording, you will know the type of the canister that we fired and if you go back, you will see the period that they (the organisers) posted – it was between 8am and 10am.
“Secondly, we agreed that they need to move in vehicles, not on foot. They can blare their horns, they can wave their flags, they can display their posters, no problem.
“But they are not to be on foot, and we agreed that they won’t come down from their vehicle to address anybody; that is where people will start coming in and converging.”
The police commissioner insisted that the police only used minimum force to disperse miscreants, and not the youths participating in the memorial procession.
He explained that he had a discussion with the organisers on the venue and time for the parade, saying that became necessary for the police to provide adequate security for them.
Odumosu said after 10am, he called the organisers who he said informed him that the procession had ended, and participants had returned to their various destinations.
He stressed that those arrested were miscreants and some of them were armed with weapons to cause mayhem at the venue.
“We arrested someone with a machete, is that a protester? That is evidence to us that miscreants have infiltrated them,” said the police commissioner.
“Those people that gather now are on foot, they are the miscreants that infiltrated them; not those that came with their vehicles. We did not drag anybody out of the car. We did not arrest anybody that is known to be a protester.”
