* CP Odumosu justifies deployment of cops, arrest of ‘miscreants’
Two persons were arrested on Wednesday, during the vehicular procession at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos State.
The police arrested the two men amid the parade organised to mark the one-year anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.
“I did not do anything,” lamented one of the young men, as he was being whisked away.
“They beat me; they collected my phone; they took my money; the police have not learnt their lessons.”
Shortly after they were arrested, both men were taken into a waiting truck of the Lagos State Task Force, which later drove off.
While the police are stationed at the tollgate for security purposes, officials of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) are maintaining a free flow of traffic.
One of the protesters was arrested while being interviewed by reporters who were covering the procession. Before that, there was an altercation between some journalists and the security personnel.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has justified the deployment of police personnel to the Lekki axis, saying the district is of economic importance to the State.
He said this while addressing journalists at the tollgate. The Lagos police commissioner said “This is a business environment. I provided them security yesterday at Adeniyi Jones too.”
Lagos CP, Odumosu
“I have told them not to stop; that they should keep on moving.
“We agreed that they should keep moving. Any vehicle that is abandoned, we will take them from here to protective custody.”
Odumosu described arrested protesters as “miscreants”, claiming that some of them were arrested with machetes and other dangerous weapons.
“We arrested some people now with machetes. These are miscreants. Today is a working day. I called Tope who is one of the leaders, and he said by 10 am, they had left. I spoke to their leader, who represented them at the panel, and he said they had left.”
The police commissioner stated that protesters ought to have a means of identification. “There should be means of identification. If they are organised, then we have a means of identification. They don’t have an agreed leadership. There must be a leader who should be held responsible.”
He also said that he has ordered the release of the journalist who was arrested, stating that the journalist had no means of identity which was why he was arrested.