…Say “We won’t tolerate demonstration in Lagos

…Deploy policemen to parts of Lagos to halt it

By Evelyn Usman and  Victor Arjiromanus

Commissioner of Police, Lagos Police Command , CP Hakeem Odumosu , has said that the command would resist any gathering that would threaten the peace and lives of Lagosians.

His assertion came on the heels of the planned second wave protest tagged ‘OccupyLekkiTollGate’ at the Lekki Toll Gate,  Saturday, by the Endsars agitators.

He said that the command would not tolerate a repeat of such protests in the state, noting that the country was still smarting from the impact of the last #Endsars protests.

To this effect , he said  adequate arrangement and deployment of security forces to  dislodge any violent protest, gathering and procession in any part of the state had been emplaced, explaining that “ the decision of the command in this regard is in the interest of all and sundry in Lagos, and to ensure that the statutory responsibilities of the Nigeria Police Force are not compromised”.

Odumosu in  a statement signed by the command’s spokesman, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi , said intelligence report by the command revealed that some “hidden agents of destruction and shadow parties that planned and orchestrated the last Endsars violence have concluded plans to cause another set of mayhem in Lagos State and spread same to other parts of the country, tactically and spontaneously, like the recent violence.

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Premised on the available intelligence and due threat analyses carried out on the planned protest, the command, according to him, perceived the  proposed protest as a calculated attempt to cause pandemonium and massive destruction of lives and properties.

He said, such will not be allowed in Lagos. The Lagos State, its people and the Nigerian nation at large are still groaning in pains from  the aftermath of the last Endsars violence that left many lives and properties lost. It is therefore not reasonable to allow same to repeat itself in the state’’

He also cited the Covid-19 pandemic as another reason why the planned protest would not be allowed to hold, recalling that “ four days  ago, the Federal Government Task Force on Covid-19 declared that the country now has 13 variants of Covid-19 virus which makes it more deadly.

With this development, all hands must be on deck to halt the spread of the virus by self-complying with its protocol major which is maintenance social distance”.

He further stated that  adequate arrangement and deployment of security forces to kick against and dislodge any violent protest, gathering and procession in any part of the state had been emplaced, explaining that “ the decision of the command in this regard is in the interest of all and sundry in Lagos, and to ensure that the statutory responsibilities of the Nigeria Police Force are not compromised.

Vanguard News Nigeria