The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has justified the firing of teargas his men used on protesters at the Lekki tollgate on Wednesday.
Mr Odumosu had led his men to clampdown on the demonstrators commemorating the anniversary of the historic #EndSARS protests, arresting many in the process.
Before the police chief arrived, officers from the state command and other security agencies took over the protest venue Tuesday evening, stationing themselves at strategic parts.
The protesters who came in car procession gathered at a point and were chanting solidarity songs when Mr Odumosu arrived.
Shortly afterwards, police officers began ordering the demonstrators to leave, before a twinkle of an eye, they shot teargas cannisters at the protesting crowd, a move that dispersed the gathering with the protesters running helter-skelter.
Justifying the action, the police boss said the protesters who told him that the demonstration will start by 8am and end at 10am failed to keep to time hence constitutes nuisance which he said will not be tolerated.
“The protest was between 8 am and 10 am, anything, after 10 am, is a nuisance,” he told journalists at the protest venue. “I discussed with them and they said they will end the protest by 10 o’clock. Other people doing it now are just causing a nuisance. some with machete, hammer, are they protesters or miscreants?
“The protesters are free; they have done their thing and left. Any other persons remaining are the miscreants, hoodlums that want to capitalise on that to attack innocent people and start robbing people. We will not allow that.”
TODAY POLITICS learnt that the protesters are regrouping to return to the scene where many were killed last year at the peak of the protest that lasted for weeks.
