•A police van conveying demonstrators earlier today
Demonstrators gathered at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos today to mark the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protest.
The memorial was to remember those who lost their lives during the #EndSARS protests against police brutality in October 2020, reports Channels TV.
The youths were said to have gathered around 8:30 am at the toll gate with several banners and placards. They demanded the full implementation of the reports submitted by various judicial panels of inquiry set up after the 2020 protests.
However, reports emerged that police operatives dispersed the demonstrators and arrested some of them.
A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, accused operatives of the Lagos State Police Command of arresting about 18 activists, including Comrade Taiwo Soweto.
He described the protest as peaceful and alleged that police brutalised some protesters and detained some at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Yaba, Lagos.
According to him, the action by police operatives were unconstitutional and unacceptable.
“Comrade Hassan Taiwo Soweto and 17 other activists have been arrested at the Lekki Toll Gate,” he wrote on X.
“They were brutalised and are currently being detained in State CID Panti by the police for commemorating the memorial of the Lekki Toll Gate Massacre.
“They were entirely peaceful and did not disrupt public peace in any way. We will do everything under the law to secure their release. This is unconstitutional and unacceptable.”
‘Illegal’
But the police authorities faulted the gathering of the demonstrators, describing their action as illegal.
The Lagos State Police Command claimed that the protesters did not write to seek police clearance and permission before embarking on the demonstration.
“Constitutionally, they should write to me as the Commissioner of Police of their intention to do so, they did write to us and as such, any of such gathering is illegal and by extension, police will not allow it to happen,” the State Police Commissioner, Olanrewaju Ishola, told our correspondent.
The CP explained that the police authorities were not unmindful of the constitutional rights of citizens, but stressed that while exercising their rights, they must consider the place the laws of the land above other considerations.
According to him, police operatives have manned strategic parts of the state to avoid any planned breakdown of law and order.
“What we had was gotten on social media. There are some people who want to celebrate the fourth anniversary of EndSARS.
“We’ve been here since 12 a.m. overnight and all over Lagos, we have taken over the traditional points where protesters can gather. We are not averse to anybody exercising their fundamental rights, but the law of the land must be emplaced. So that’s the very essence of why we are here today.
“So far so good, it’s been total non-acceptance of any disruption here and throughout the state in general. Earlier in the day, I went around all parts of Lagos like I said, all the traditional points, Gana Park, Freedom Park, Ikeja Underbridge, Alausa Mall, places of government infrastructure that they may want to unleash me.
“We have all the place covered, and we have Lagos undercover, security-wise. I promise Lagos they are going to experience better policing and they have reasons to be Lagosians. It is a state that works, nobody can disrupt the activities of the government here,” he said.
Protesters released
Meanwhile, in another post seen by The Frontier online, one of the arrested protesters in Lagos disclosed that the state Commissioner of Police Olanrewaju Ishola has ordered the release of the arrested protesters.
“We have just been released after the Commissioner of Police came down to the Panti police station pleading hypocritically. The whole brutalisation, assault and arrest happened in his presence. He ordered it.
Obviously the last has not been heard of this. Many of us are injured. One comrade had blood gushing from his nose. Two comrades, a male and female, were sexually molested. A male comrade was stripped naked – we had to find a rope to hold his trousers to preserve his dignity.
Many are still in shock.
I had my clothe torn by Officer Nnadi James at Panti police station. This violation of our rights and brutalisation on a day set aside to commemorate a butal massacre 4 years ago cannot be tolerated.
We want justice. We won’t stop until we have it.
As for the struggle against Tinubu’s anti-poor policies, this assault won’t dissuade us. The struggle continues until victory,” he said.
