Lagos roads deserted as Police harass, arrest June 12 protesters
Major highways in Lagos were deserted Saturday morning as Nigeria marked the 2021 Democracy Day celebration.
June 12 was declared Nigeria’s Democracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari three years ago in honour of MKO Abiola, the adjudged winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election annulled by former military head of state Ibrahim Babangida.
In commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day, young Nigerians decided to take to the streets in major cities across the country to protest against bad governance, rising insecurity and the recent suspension of the operations of Twitter in Nigeria by the federal government.
A few vehicles were seen on the Ikorodu road, Apapa-Oworonshoki road, the Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and major roads around Ikeja on Saturday morning.
Many Nigerians decided to stay indoors over fears that the protests could degenerate into violence as witnessed during the EndSARS protests in October 2020 when soldiers opened fire on peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate.
The usual violent scene now common at protest grounds in Lagos unfolded again on Saturday as police harassed and arrested protesters and journalists who had gathered at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota, venue of the June 12 protest in Lagos.
Viral videos of the protest examined by Neusroom showed dozens of officers firing teargas canisters at protesters and harassing them around the Gani Fawehinmi Park.
A protester told Arise TV that the police shot live bullets at them at Ojota.
A journalist who was harassed at the scene told Neusroom that hoodlums suspected to be members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) were deployed to the scene to cause mayhem and attack protesters while the police watched.
“As the hoodlums attacked protesters, police stood aloof and watched. Then they started arresting the protesters, chasing them into adjoining streets around Ojota. We had to flee the scene,” the journalist said.
The spokesperson of the Lagos Police Command Muyiwa Adejobi could not be reached for comments as he did not pick calls.
Lagos Police Commissioner Hakeem Odumosu, however, told Neusroom in a telephone interview on Saturday evening that no protester was arrested or harassed in Ojota despite video evidence showing police firing teargas canisters, chasing and arresting protesters around Ojota.
When the Neusroom correspondent insisted that some of his colleagues who are journalists as well as peaceful protesters were also harassed by the police, the Commissioner said “I was there myself for more than two hours and I briefed all the journalists so nobody was harassed, nobody arrested.” He declined to give further comment.
Multiple videos showing Police action at Ojota on Saturday and accounts of eyewitnesses prove the Police Commissioner’s claim to be false.
Eyewitnesses and journalists confirmed to Neusroom that protesters were not just harassed by the police, they were also arrested and shot at.
