Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested about eight protesters at the Lekki tollgate where the #EndSARS Memorial Protest is holding in the state today.
One of those arrested claimed to be a journalist, another was claimed by policemen that he was holding a cutlass, hammer and sophisticated weapon, while the others were seen carrying a placard.
The police had reportedly warned that anyone seen at the tollgate without an ID card will be arrested.
The arrested journalist told newsmen that he works with LegitTV and that his phone, driver’s license and other documents were taken away from him
Speaking from a Lagos State Task Force van where he was kept by the police, the journalist who identified himself as Abisola stated that he lost his ID card in transit.
About 30 police trucks and armed personnel are currently at the tollgate to enforce a ban on protests issued by the police command.
A car procession in honour of those believed to have lost their lives at the tollgate when soldiers dispersed #EndSARS protesters on October 20, 2020, is scheduled to hold at the tollgate today.
Many protesters were seen singing and clamouring for the end of police brutality in the country.
Unfortunately, things went sour as protesters and the policemen began to get it wrong with each other . On this basis however, at around 11.15 am the standby policemen started firing teargas and shooting on the air to scare the protesters.
Many of the protesters were seen running for their dear lives, many injured as a result of the stampede from the policemen.
A wounded protester named Kunle Okunyemi said a policeman was physically assaulting him, kicking him with a button of his riffle.
Another wounded protester Kemi Adebowale said she was beaten to the pop because she was holding the EndSars placard.
What #EndSARS protests were about
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The #EndSARS protests which were held in October 2020 were against the activities of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a unit of the Nigeria Police Force which was accused of police brutality.
The epicentre of the protests was the Lekki tollgate in Lagos where many youths gathered day and night to air their grievances against police brutality and bad governance.
They were dispersed from the location by gun-wielding soldiers on October 20, 2020, an action which some quarters believe led to the loss of lives
This was followed by the destruction of private and public properties by hoodlums in Lagos, an incident that informed the latest warning issued by the police in the state.
