#EndSARS: Why we fired tear gas at Lekki Tollgate – Lagos CP
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The Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu has explained why Police operatives fired tear gas at the Lekki tollgate area on Wednesday.
Speaking to newsmen, CP Odumosu said the police did not disperse the youths taking part in the procession, rather those he described as miscreants at the venue.
Police operatives had fired teargas while youths and celebrities were holding a memorial car procession while commemorating the one year anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.
The protests had led to the disbandment of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police.
Speaking Odumosu said: “We did not fire canister to disperse protesters.
“If you have your recording, you will know the type of the canister that we fired and if you go back, you will see the period that they (the organisers) posted – it was between 8am and 10am.
“Secondly, we agreed that they need to move in vehicles, not on foot. They can blare their horns, they can wave their flags, they can display their posters, no problem.
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“But they are not to be on foot, and we agreed that they won’t come down from their vehicle to address anybody; that is where people will start coming in and converging.”
The police commissioner explained that operatives arrested someone with a machete.
“Is that a protester? That is evidence to us that miscreants have infiltrated them,” he noted.
“Those people that gather now are on foot, they are the miscreants that infiltrated them; not those that came with their vehicles.
“We did not drag anybody out of the car. We did not arrest anybody that is known to be a protester,” he added.
