Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, has reacted to the viral video of heavy presence of Policemen at the Lekki Tollgate on the third anniversary of the #EndSARS protest, saying the Policemen were deployed to the location for safety and security of all.
A memorial walk was on Friday organised to commemorate the Lekki tollgate shooting during the nationwide anti-SARS protests of October 20, 2020.
LEADERSHIP reports that SARS, now disbanded, was a Police unit notorious for human right abuses and victimisation of young Nigerians.
The anniversary walk was to mark the third memorial of the alleged shooting and killing of protesters, which took place at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos and to honour those who lost their lives in the controversial encounter with armed Soldiers on October 20, 2020.
However, commenting on the anniversary walk on Friday, CP Owohunwa, who addressed journalists at the third year memorial of the #EndSARS protest at Lekki Tollgate, stressed that citizens have the right to exercise their freedom, adding that they have the right to be protected by the Police as well.
He, however, said that the members of the public visiting the site for anniversary procession must steer clear of any act that would put the security and peace of the remaining residents at risk.
The Lagos Police boss stated that some groups have visited the Lekki tollgate for the third year anniversary of the #EndSARS shooting, saying they coordinated themselves properly.
CP Owohunwa said, “It has been stable. We had one or two groups that came around here for procession and they have been working within our understanding of how it should be. As a citizen, you reserve your right to exercise your freedom and franchise, we respect it, and we protect it.
“We do it in such a way that, in the course of doing that, the group members will not also be exposed to any form of danger. That is what we owe them and that is what we have done.
“But, then we also made it clear that for the overriding public interest, we will also not allow a situation where those groups conduct themselves in a manner that will put the interest, security, the peace, around Lekki and environs and across the state into jeopardy.
“We also owe the state the responsibility to guarantee their safety. So, we are trying to strike a balance and that is it so far, so good.”
Earlier, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin, had earlier warned that no gathering/convergence whatsoever would be allowed anywhere around the tollgate for the third #EndSARS memorial anniversary.
