‘Police approval not needed to organise protest’
A campaigner of the #OccupyLekkiTollgate planned protest, Wole Olubanji, says the demonstration scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 13, is legitimate.
Daily Champion gathered that soldiers attacked #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020. But the Judicial Panel of Inquiry which took over the Toll Gate decided to hand it back to the operators, Lekki Concession Company, last Saturday.
Subsequently, hash tags such as #OccupyLekkiTollgate and counter-protest hash tags such as #DefendLagos and #DemNoBornYourPapaWell trended online.
Speaking on Tuesday, Olubanji said the #OccupyLekkiTollgate campaigners would protest at the toll gate in resistance against its planned reopening.
According to him, the Lekki Toll Gate is a symbol of ‘death’ but it must be turned to a symbol of ‘victory’ and justice for injured and slain #EndSARS protesters last October.
The campaigner also said those organising counter-protests only want to defend personal interest and the interest of the owners of the Lekki Toll Gate. He, however, said they also have a right under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Let them do their protest and let we the #OccupyLekkiTollgate protesters do ours without any altercation,” Olubanji said.
On whether there was need for police approval for the protest to hold, the campaigner said there was no need for such as it was a sign of military regime.
Olubanji alleged that some persons don’t want the #OccupyLekkiTollgate protest to hold because they don’t want transparency of the probe of victims of the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.
“There is no problem for people saying they want to defend Lagos, we also want to defend Lagos by demanding transparency,” he said, adding that the government would further exposed itself as “a tyrannical government” if it moves against the protest by declaring a curfew or sending security forces to harass campaigners at the demonstration ground on Saturday.
