The Nigeria Police Force is currently expressing fears that the #EndSARS protest one-year anniversary risks being hijacked by hoodlums and anti-government elements in Lagos.
A senior police officer who spoke to Daily Sun at the Lekki Toll Plaza, Lagos, the venue of the #EndSARS protest, said that the Force is worried about the way the anniversary was being handled.
The senior police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: ‘The Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, had warned and advised over and over again that the police would not tolerate walking during the protest and that protesters should be allowed to operate with their vehicles and visual one, but with what you are seeing now, the youths have betrayed the arrangement and violated the order.
‘We have been warned not to deal with any protesters but we cannot fold our arms and watch hoodlums and enemies of the government hijack the protest. We have picked four of such persons who wanted to cause a breakdown of law and order. People were protesting their arrest, but they don’t understand that we are averting the wanton and unwarranted destruction of life and property as we experienced during last year’s #EndSARS protest. Looking at how the protesters are disobeying the law, why should they be walking and disturbing other road users?
‘You can see us negotiating with the protesters not to block the road. We have cleared one lane to and another from Lekki. We have been here since yesterday trying our best, but our youths are so difficult. With all we have been doing, placating and trying not to have problems with the protesters, they are still trying to cause problems. Like I told you, four suspected hoodlums have been arrested. Two of them were armed. One was armed with cutlass and another with a hammer. What are they doing with lethal weapons if not to cause problems?, the police officer said.
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