Promoters of counter protest, #DefendLagos have shelved their planned protest which was supposed to take place on Saturday at the Lekki tollgate, alon
Promoters of counter protest, #DefendLagos have shelved their planned protest which was supposed to take place on Saturday at the Lekki tollgate, alongside the #OccupyLekkiTollgate protest.
The initiator, Alabi Oladimeji, said the group suspended its counter-protest because of the warnings by the federal and state governments that protests won’t be allowed to hold.
He made this known on his Facebook page. He said, “No protest from #DefendLagos on Saturday (today). We are simultaneously respecting the state and federal governments. I am proud to announce that in the meantime, we will be pending this protest due to the law of the Federal and state governments.
“We are law-abiding and good citizens, definitely, we should not be the ones seen disobeying any law. In respect of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, and Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. I am now announcing that anyone involved in #DefendLagos initiated by me should with immediate effect pend the protest.
Oladimeji, however, warned that #DefendLagos would organise a huge protest if the security operatives allowed the #OccupyLekkiTollgate campaigners to hold their planned protest.
“We are not going to hold any protest again on Saturday (today). If Lagos and FG fail us, we will come out and protest on Monday,” he said.
Two opposing camps, #OccupyLekkiTollGate and #DefendLagos, had planned to hold separate protests in Lagos State on Saturday. While the former was to protest the controversial ruling of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry to reopen the Lekki Tollgate despite ongoing investigations, the latter was a threat to protesters to stay away from the toll plaza.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 18 #OccupyLekkiTollgate protesters including popular instagram skit maker, Mr Macaroni, have been arrested by security forces at the Lekki toll gate on Saturday.
The instagram skit maker was taken alongside the other protesters in a black maria to an unknown location.
The Federal Government and the police had earlier warned youths who planned to protest at the Lekki tollgate on Saturday to have a rethink and shelve the protests.
