Officers of the Nigeria Police Force were said to have fired teargas canisters and water cannons to disperse protesters who were participating in the second memorial of the #EndSARS protest at the Lekki Tollgate.
The officers earlier warned that the protesters not stop or hold a rally at the tollgate, but should just pass through that axis during their procession. They were not allowed to block any roads, just as the police threatened to arrest anybody that flouted the directive.
The protesters disobeyed the order, hence the reaction from the police officers.
Eyewitnesses recounted how the civilians and other civilians were forced to flee the scene of the #EndSARS memorial procession after the teargas and water cannons were fired. Some journalists also claimed they were harassed.
What the Police is saying
Reacting to the accusations, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, told Channels Television that some of the protesters were “unruly” and climbed the top of the toll gate. He said:
“That was not needed. You are doing a procession, just walk past. But these people now stop there and climbed on the toll gate becoming a nuisance, threatening to break down the existing law and order.
“We can’t stand there and watch them misbehave. The least we could do was to use teargas, any other thing apart from teargas will be more harmful. There is no record of injury. We only did our job and faced those who were unruly.’’
Some of the participants at the procession include popular comedian Debo Adebayo, also known as Mr Macaroni; and musician Folarin Falana, better known as Falz.
According to the organizers of the protest, the procession was to commemorate the second anniversary of the #EndSARS protest that rocked Lagos and parts of Nigeria in October 2020.
Scores of fully armed police officers were seen with about 25 patrol vans at the toll gate.