Segun Atanda/
The Lagos State Police Command has appealed to the Nigeria Bar Association to shelve its proposed protest march on Tuesday.
The command in a statement by its spokesman, SP Chike Oti, said it was concerned about the negative security implications of the protest, as well as its potential to cause breach of public peace.
The NBA had on Sunday announced its intention to protest police brutality against a member of the Ikeja branch of the association, Fatai Adeyemi Abijo, by staging a solidarity march.
Abijo was reportedly beaten up and handcuffed by some officials of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Offences, on January 30, 2018, for the simple reason that he remonstrated with the them to stop assaulting a motorist, whose offence was not disclosed.
But a statement by the police today reads: “The Lagos State police command hereby advises the Ikeja branch of the Nigeria Bar Association led by Mr. Adesina Ogunlana to shelve their planned protest slated for tomorrow, 20th February, 2018 as all avenues to resolving their grievances have not yet been exploited.
“The CP is deeply worried about the security implication of such aprotest at this time when the resources of the Police command is overstretched. Thus, it is expected that the NBA chairman whose office is a shouting distance away from the CP’s office should have at least briefed him on the matter and indeed any issue of interest to his association instead of planning a street protest for a matter that could be resolved in the CP’s office without much ado. Moreso the unit of the Police which the NBA has issues with and indeed all operational Police units in the state are under the command of the Commissioner of Police.
“The Lagos State Police Command views this planned protest and the call by the NBA Chairman that all manner of people should join the protest as a call to breach the public peace and safety and an unnecessary dissipation of valuable energy.
“Besides, the Command wishes to draw the attention of the organisers of the protest to the fact that intelligence report at its disposal indicates that certain elements are hell bent on truncating the peace in Lagos State and are merely waiting for triggers such as the planned protest by the NBA to execute their intentions.
“The Command would like to inform the NBA Chairman that as a stakeholder in peace affairs, security and public orderliness in the state, he ought to partner the police in ensuring public safety and not resort to acts capable of breaching the peace enjoyed by all in the state.
“The CP wishes to assure the NBA Chairman that his complaint as seen in the newspapers is noted and that investigation into it is in progress and at the end, a joint press conference to which the NBA Chairman would be invited, will be held on the matter.”
The Chairman of the Branch, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana, had told a press conference on Sunday that the protest march would start from the branch secretariat in Ikeja all the way to Lagos State Secretariat in Alausa.
He said the group would present a strong worded letter to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and the Speaker of the Lagos State Assembly.
According to him, the decision to embark on the protest was taken at an emergency meeting held last Tuesday to consider the report of the Adejare Kembi Committee set up to investigate the unfortunate incident.
“The committee wrote its report only after interacting with the Lagos State Task Force leadership echelon on the matter, including one Superintendent Yinka Egbeyemi, who is the Chairman of the Task Force, in observance of the Audi Alteram Partem rule,” the NBA Chairman stated.
Ogunlana said the march is not exclusively for members of NBA Ikeja and called on other legal practitioners and concerned Nigerians to join but urged participants conform to its orderly and peaceful procession arrangement and plans.
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