The Lagos State Police Command announced on Thursday that participants in the EndSARS memorial who were arrested at the Lekki tollgate had been released.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Benjamin Hundeyin said that the police only arrested a few troublemakers who were detained on the spot but later released when normalcy was restored.
“A few troublemakers were identified and apprehended and kept in our custody right there on the spot, but a few minutes later when normalcy returned, they were all released, so it was part of our efforts to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order,” the PPRO said.
He stated that the police were only present to provide security and ensure that the procession went smoothly, and that they only intervened when some people attempted to obstruct the free flow of traffic.
“Some people came out to have a peaceful procession across the tollgate and our officers were on ground to ensure that everything is fine. They provided the much-needed security, but some minutes into this, a few of those people decided to stop at the tollgate some were bringing a coffin to the station at the tollgate, and some wanted to mount the toll plaza.
They were increasing in number and started to derail the traffic and we had to disperse them with the use of teargas, normalcy returned and nobody was arrested and everything is okay right now, that is the report I got,” Hundeyin said.
When asked why the police used tear gas on the EndSARS memorial participants, a Lagos police spokesperson stated that they had no choice but to use tear gas because a few of the participants chose to remain at the tollgate.
“You would remember that the last time there was a peaceful procession across that tollgate, not one teargas canister was fired because people did not stop, they just went across and passed in procession, but this time around they started that way and there was no teargas, the teargas was used to disperse people that decided to stay at the tollgate and cause some sort of obstruction on the free flow of traffic, and when the moment they were dispersed nothing was fired again, nobody was harassed, nobody was intimidated, we just ensured that there was free flow of traffic in that axis,” he added.
