From left: Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, former Minister of Finance, Mr. Festus Kiyamo, Prof. Ben Akabueze, and Ms. Funmi Iyanda during a peaceful protest, on Deployment of soldiers to Lagos state, and the new price of Fuel, by Fed Govt of Nigeria , organised by National Action Coalition of Democracy, in Lagos on Thursday 19-1-2012. PHOTO; Bunmi Azeez
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The Police success nonetheless, activists were yesterday planning a victory rally to celebrate what they claimed was the success of the demonstrations against the administration’s hike in petrol prices. Among prominent figures penciled to partake in the victory rally slated for the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos is the Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.
Yesterday’s protest organised by the National Action Coalition (NAC) had led the demonstrators including activists to the Lagos State House of Assembly, Alausa from where they proceeded on their way to the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota venue of the demonstrations during the recent six-day nationwide strike against the removal of petrol subsidy.
Besides Nwabueze, Braithwaite, Kalu; other prominent persons among the demonstrators were Yerimma Shettima of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF); Human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo; Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), television hostess, Funmi Iyanda; Nike Ransome-Kuti, daughter of the deceased human rights crusader, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti. Others included Professor Tony Kila, Dr Lakin Akintola, Dr Tunji Abayomi, Wale Okunniyi, Yemi Adamolekun, Kola Oyeneyin, Wale Ogunade and Dr Wale Balogun.
A team of heavily armed anti-riot policemen led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, in charge of Operations, Mr. Tunde Sobulor, had accosted the protesters and asked them to discontinue the protest march and disperse peacefully. But the advice was ignored by the elder statesmen, who insisted that it was their right to hold a peaceful protest against any perceived abnormally in the country.
While the confrontation persisted, the police resorted to the use of maximum force by firing canisters of teargas while the hapless protesters; some of them septuagenarians scampered for safety. Some of them sustained minor injuries as they were overwhelmed by the pungent gas from the canisters.
The tear-gassed elders were later helped out of the troubled scene by sympathizers. One of the protesters and Convener of Committee for the Protection of the People’s Mandate, CCPM, Mr. Nelson Ekujumi fainted from inhaling the tear gas. He was later revived and taken to an unidentified hospital for further medical attention.
Protesters didn’t have permit – Police
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Samuel Jinadu, defended the police action describing it as appropriate. The police image maker, who quoted relevant sections of the Police Act, said the protesters failed to get the approval of the police before embarking on the protest. This was even as sources said the protesters had earlier written an application to the office of the Commissioner of Police CP Alkali Yakubu to that effect but was turned down.
Jinadu said: “The protesters were dispersed through the use of maximum force because it was becoming clear that they were ignoring the advice of the police. That action was in order and appropriate. The protesters failed to get the approval of the command before engaging in the protest and the police have a duty to protect lives and property and therefore, cannot watch a breakdown of law and order.”
How it began
It started as a peaceful demonstration under the aegis of the National Action Coalition (NAC) led by Braithwaite to show their displeasure over the deployment of troops to Lagos and other parts of the country as well as the unilateral imposition of a pump price regime of N97 on petrol by the Federal Government.
The about 200 protesters at 10:30 am, took off from the Alausa Garden and proceeded to the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex, Alausa. Civil society groups that participated in the rally tagged: “Enough is Enough”, included Occupy Nigeria, Joint Action Forum, Committee Against Bad Policy of Government in Nigeria, CAPOGEN, MKO June 12 Movement , Patriotic Front Movement, United Action for Democracy, Conference of Islamic Organisation, Muslim Right Concern, Committee for the Protection of the People’s Mandate, CPPM, students, artisans and others.
From Alausa, the protesters marched to Ojota but pandemonium broke at Mobolaji Johnson Road, opposite Eleganza Warehouse, off Billings Way when men of the Nigerian Police, who had barricaded the road, started shooting tear gas canisters at the protesters to prevent them from advancing beyond the barricaded road.
Led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Tunde Sobulo who shot the last tear gas out of the five canisters, the Police team had earlier warned the protesters to turn back from marching to the Freedom Park at Ojota, saying “the police is protecting you, but you cannot go there now because it is not safe there. I cannot predict what will happen at Ojota.
For now you have registered your grievances and the government has done what it believed should be done. Status quo must be adhered to and must be respected.”
The adamant protesters insisted on proceeding but were dispersed when the police shot tear gas canisters at them. The incident resulted in a terrible traffic jam as many commuters jumped out of their buses and motorists abandoned their vehicles for safety.
We are against military siege - Braithwaite
Before the clash, Braithwaite said, “as elders, we are totally against the military siege in Lagos. This is a democracy. They should be withdrawn immediately.
Speaking after the police dispersed the protesters, a peeved Braithwaite said: “The government is trying to criminalise decent citizens of this country, who have come out to protest against the policy of the government, which has affected the pocket of an average Nigerian. Let the world see what is happening to the citizens of this country.”
Speaking earlier, Professor Nwabueze said: “It is a historic meeting. It is the beginning of events to come. I will like to call it the beginning of a revolution to come. What we are doing is not an attempt to bring anarchy into the country but our intention is to bring about a new Nigeria. We want to cleanse this country of all ill activities. The government in Nigeria is rotten.
We thought that the strike called by NLC and TUC was the best opportunity for Nigerians to register their grievances.
“When all these started, we thought we were working together but they (NLC and TUC) compromised 180 million Nigerians. What they did should not be looked at as disappointment but should provoke anger that will galvanize us all to action.
We have a challenge before us to cleanse rottenness from the country. All these require the mobilisation of all sectors of the country. I will write series of papers to challenge all the illicit acts of the government. After all these, we will march to the National Assembly to demand for Sovereign National Conference (SNC) and if the National Assembly fails to do that, we will carry out the conference ourselves.”
Lagos House task FG on troops
Earlier, the Lagos State House of Assembly had called on the Federal Government to withdraw the soldiers from the streets of Lagos. Addressing the protesters, Deputy Speaker, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, on behalf of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, expressed displeasure over the deployment of soldiers to the state.
SNG plans victory rally tomorrow
Meanwhile, the Save Nigeria Group has vowed to go ahead with its planned Victory Rally tomorrow at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota in Lagos. It, however, distanced itself from groups who claimed to have the mandate of SNG to hold rallies at the Lekki-Epe axis of the state. Addressing newsmen yesterday, spokesperson of SNG, Mr Yinka Odumakin said the group would not be deterred by the presence of military men stationed at the Freedom Park.
When asked if the rally would go ahead as planned, Odumakin reaffirmed the group’s earlier resolve for the Victory rally. He declared that “tear gas would not stop us, we know that we are dealing with a full blown civilian dictatorship, a government that cannot protect its people against terror, a government that cannot hold on to one terrorist, who was arrested and kept in police custody, now has the guts to mobilise armed troops and tear gas defenceless citizens.
Why we are not afraid is that the Nigerian people have won against full blown military dictatorship under General Sani Abacha. So, a civilian government that is using military police is no match for the Nigerian people. We have passed through this road before and this one too shall come to pass.
So, on Saturday, we are going ahead with our programme as scheduled, leaders from across the country will be there. The Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka is coming in for this. We are boldened because of the fact that we are peaceful citizens. In all our rallies, we have only said no reprisals , no rage, no violence and we will continue to keep that and the whole world would know that if the state visits any violence on us, we are not the aggressors, it is the state that cannot control Nigerians.
Distancing itself from the Save Nigeria Group, Lekki, he enjoined Nigerians to ignore any call by the group.”
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