Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, Hakeem Odumosu, has warned that the command will resist any planned protest in the state.
Some youths earlier planned an #OccupyLekkiTollGate protest for Saturday.
But on Thursday, Odumosu said the police in the state had intelligence that some “hidden agents of destruction” were aiming to carry out violence.
READ ALSO: Youths Threaten Fresh Protest At Lekki Tollgate
He told journalists that the police will act accordingly to forestall the breakdown of law and order.
“Permit me to state in clear terms that organising any protest in furtherance of the recent violent and destructive #EndSARS protest will be counterproductive to the ongoing series of inquiries and investigations into many cases related to the #EndSARS violence and the present security situation of the state,” the police chief said.
“Above all, the command has gathered intelligence 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.
“Premised on the available intelligence and due threat analyses carried out on the planned protest, the command perceives such proposed protest as a calculated attempt to cause pandemonium, brouhaha and massive destruction of lives and properties under whatever guide and such will not be allowed in Lagos state.
“The Lagos state, its people and the Nigerian nation at large are still groaning (in pains) for 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.”
Odumosu noted that another reason why “such gathering should not hold is the prevailing COVID-19 virus which is rampaging in the country”.
“The security of lives and properties of the government and the good people of Lagos state is paramount and not negotiable,” the commissioner said.
READ ALSO: #OccupyLekkiTollGate: Nobody Will Bring Lagos Down, Says Sanwo-Olu’s Aide
He added that there is adequate arrangement in place to deploy security operatives to dislodge any protest.
The #EndSARS protests, which demanded an end to police brutality, rocked parts of the country in October 2020.
Lagos was most affected by the violence and destruction that trailed the demonstrations.
Protesters recently threatened another round of protests after the Lagos Judicial Panel investigating cases of police brutality and the shooting incident at the Lekki Toll Plaza approved the reopening of the toll gate.
The youth representatives on the panel kicked against the move, saying it won’t allow justice to be served.
© ControlTV 2021.
