Many people were injured on Thursday when the police fired teargas canisters at people who converged to commemorate the second anniversary of #EndSARS protest.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, conceded that tear gas was shot at the #EndSARS memorial procession by men of the Nigerian Police Force, which took place at the Lekki toll-gate.
He however that said nobody was injured and no gunshot was fired by the police.
Hundeyin explained in an interview on Channels TV that the procession had stopped and traffic was building at the toll-gate.
He said the police had to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd in order to relieve traffic at the spot.
The procession was organised to mark the second anniversary of the lives lost during the #EndSARS protest of October 20, 2020, were security forces allegedly shot at unarmed, peaceful protesters who converged at the toll-gate.
The police mentioned that as long as the procession did not stop there would not be problems, adding that the agreement was that the protesters would keep moving.
Hundeyin said some trouble makers wanted to breech the peace so the police swung into action.
He said, “Everything was going fine until they stopped and started laying the coffins on the ground and all. They were doing all these and traffic at the toll gate was building.
“We needed to ensure that there was free flow of traffic in the area, because the agreement was that the procession would not stop, that was why we fired tear gas. After the crowd was dispersed, no single canister of tear gas was fired again.
“Right now there is free flow of traffic in the area and calm has been restored.”
When the PPRO was asked about the protesters that were locked up in the Black Maria truck he said they had all been released.
He said, “Some trouble makers wanted to breech the peace in the area so they were picked up and locked up in the van. But after everything had calmed down and the protesters dispersed they were all released. I can confirm that we have no one in our custody at the toll-gate now.”
But activist said that “over 50 people were injured. They were scampering for safety after the police fired teargas canisters on us. They also fired gunshots into the air. I am not saying that they shot the guns at us, but we were injured by the teargas.”
Another protester, Mark Chiedozie, said, “the police went beyond their brief. They used water cannons on us; most of our people have peels on their bodies from the hot water from the cannons. They shot guns at us, but none of us was hit. There is no court order, restraining people from converging at the tollgate. When the Obidents did rally for the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, there was a court order restraining people from converging on the spot. That was why we converged there, but the police went beyond their rule of engagement and attacked us. They violated our fundamental human rights. They arrested some of us. We don’t know where they took them to.
“Well, we wanted the government to know that they betrayed us; I would say that the only achievement made by the #EndSARS protest was the disbanding of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), but that is on the periphery. If you look deeply, nothing has changed, so far. The people in SARS are still the same policemen who are still in the tactical units and squads all over the police formations. Nothing seems to have changed because since after the protest, we have witnessed many extrajudicial killings, brutalities and extortions by the same police.
“One of the demands by the protesters was for the police to do a mental evaluation of officers and men of the force, but has it been done. How many of them have been sacked or taken for mental treatment or psychological maladies. Again, another demand by the protesters was that compensation should be paid to the victims of police brutality. Up till today, nobody has been compensated. The Federal Government only confirmed that two years after the protest, it just got the reports from the Commission of inquiry.”
