In a bid to halt the proposed February 5th and 6th protest against the Federal Government, the Lagos State Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni on Wednesday said he
will not allow the planned protest against the Federal Government slated
for February 5 to hold in the state.
Nigerian music icon, TuFace Idibia
who joined the call for protest by some concerned Nigerians over the
state of the nation, had used his social media platforms to appeal to
his supporters to join the movement. But Owoseni, who had earlier stated
that there was no official request from the protesters notifying
security agencies of their plan, said Wednesday that intelligence report
indicates that criminals might hijack the process.
According to the police chief, the command wasn’t ready for that kind of
demonstration and as such would not allow it to hold.Tuface-Idibia He
said no matter how good an intention is, hoodlums would always find a
way to harass, rob and attack innocent members of the public, who may
wish to go about their Lawful duty. Owoseni said: “Information reaching
us revealed that some hoodlums are planning to hijack the peaceful
protest. And as such, we won’t allow it to hold in Lagos. We know that
Tuface do not have the capacity to contain such a crowd and we will not
fold our hands and watch while things go out of hand.”
At a press conference held earlier in the week, Owoseni said: “The Civil
Society had said that they do not need police permission to carry out
any peaceful protest, but they should also be aware that there might be
those who share an opposing view. This set of persons may want to
disrupt the peaceful demonstration and would want to attack
demonstrators. “This is why we advise individuals or group of persons
who may wish to embark on civil demonstration to inform the police so
that adequate security arrangement would be provided.”