Lagos Commissioner of Police Warns Against Attacking Protesters
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Adegoke Fayoade, has called on residents to refrain from attacking protesters. Fayoade made this statement while addressing traditional rulers and community leaders in Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Epe, and Lagos Island local government areas during a town hall meeting on Saturday.
Reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) indicate that there are plans for a nationwide protest by some Nigerians over the current hardships in the country. The protest is scheduled to begin on August 1 and end on August 10.
Fayoade emphasized that, although the police and other security agencies have declared that there should be no protests in Lagos State, residents should not take the law into their own hands by attacking any group that chooses to protest.
“If there must be a protest, it must be peaceful. We want to know those who want to protest so that we can make arrangements for their security,” Fayoade stated. “It is your right to protest legitimately as long as it does not affect the rights of others.”
He also warned that any group planning a violent protest should reconsider, stating, “Such a group will meet police and other security agencies. We don’t want a repeat of the #EndSARS. The duty of residents is to give the police timely information about any group planning a violent protest; it is not for them to attack them.”
The traditional ruler of Ijora/Apapa, Oba Abdulfatai Aromire, appealed to his subjects not to participate in the planned protest. All the traditional rulers and community leaders present at the meeting agreed that there should be no protests in Lagos State.
They commended the Commander of Area J Police Command, Mrs. Yemisi Ojo, for her efforts in tackling crime in the area, and praised the commissioner of police for neutralizing nine kidnappers in Mushin recently. The leaders also urged the police to address the activities of land grabbers in their areas.
