#OcuppyLekkiTollGate: Defiant protesters arrested as Defence Minister threatens use of force
On
…Adegboruwa mulls opting out of #EndSARS panel
…‘Detained persons to be charged to court’
By Henry Ojelu, Kingsley Omonobi, Bose Adelaja& Kennedy Mbele
Despite warnings by the Federal Government, youths, yesterday, went ahead with the #OcuppyLekkiTollGate protest against the reopening of the Lekki Toll Gate.
Though the protest didn’t witness a massive turnout of participants, a handful of people protested after the initial arrest of an unspecified number of persons who had converged for the exercise.
As of 7:45 am yesterday, the men of the Nigeria Police, who were deployed to the scene a day earlier, were seen arresting some youths who had just arrived at the toll plaza.
Festus Akanbi and Segun James
There are anxieties over todayâs planned protest by youths under the aegis of the EndSARS movement at the Lekki-Ajah Tollgate in Lagos, the epicentre of last October #EndSARS protests, following the federal government’s threat to crush any protest and the insistence of the organisers to go ahead with their action.
Still using the social media, promoters of #occupyLekkitollgate movement, in a defiant move, spent most of yesterday mobilising youths for the protest to express their displeasure over approval for the reopening of the toll plaza.
In response to the call for protest, a counter-protest group tagged #DefendLagos was also active on social media, countering the EndSARS protesters amidst heavy presence of security forces at the Lekki Tollgate.
Nigerians Insist On Closure Of Lekki Toll Gate Despite Deployment Of Police thebreakingtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thebreakingtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Police have dispatched teams
of operatives along the Lekki corridor ahead of Saturday’s End SARS protest at
the toll gate.
“CSP Yinka Egbeyemi is presently
leading a team of police officers on a show of force to Lekki Toll Gate
(Admiralty Plaza) Obalende, Ikoyi, Jakande Roundabout, and other areas in Eti
Osa”, RRS tweeted Friday night.
The Police department said this
was “part of efforts to deter crime as well as boost the morale of his officers
in the areas”.
The call for Saturday’s protest
commenced after the 9-member of the Lagos Panel of Inquiry approved the