TheCable

The Lagos police command says no form of rally or procession will be allowed at the Lekki tollgate axis of the state.

Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos police spokesperson, said this in a statement issued on Friday.

To support the candidacy of Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed, presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the Labour Party (LP), their supporters are planning a “four million-person march” in Lagos on October 1, tagged ‘#Obidatti23 Forward Ever’.

One of the proposed rallying points of the rally was the Lekki tollgate — a development that generated varied reactions.

But on Wednesday, a federal high court in Lagos ordered the LP and its supporters not to converge on the Lekki tollgate for the rally.

Daniel Osiago, the judge, also ordered the Lagos police commissioner and inspector-general of police to oversee compliance to the order.

According to the court, the supporters cannot converge on the Lekki tollgate, but the judge ruled that they can pass through the venue to access Falomo bridge and other venues for the march.

The verdict followed a suit filed by some plaintiffs, who had expressed concern that the rally could cause breakdown of law and order in Lagos, similar to what happened during the the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.

Speaking on the matter on Friday, Hundeyin said the police will ensure compliance with the court order and provide adequate security across the state.

The police spokesperson, however, warned that those who want to disobey the court order will be dealt with in accordance with the law, while urging residents to go about their lawful duties without fear of harassment.

“It has become imperative to reemphasise that no form of rally whatsoever will be allowed at the Lekki tollgate tomorrow, October 1, 2022,” Hundeyin said. 

“This emphasis has become necessary to enlighten Nigerians that might be misled into converging on the toll gate. A court of competent jurisdiction has ruled that no person is allowed to converge on the Lekki tollgate for whatever reason. 

“In conformity with its mandate to protect life and property, the Lagos state police command under the leadership of CP Abiodun Alabi, fdc, will leave no stone unturned in ensuring total compliance with the court order and an emplacement of adequate security in the state. 

“While the command is not averse to the peoples’ right to freedom of assembly and association, and expression, the command will equally live up to its mandate of ensuring that no person or group of persons is allowed to infringe on the fundamental human rights of others, especially the rights to freedom of movement and right to dignity of human persons, especially under the guise of rally or procession. 

“The warning therefore goes that anyone found flouting the court order or infringing on the rights of other Nigerians will be dealt with in accordance with the law.”