Tension as police deny protesters access to Lagos state house of assembly

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command on Monday barricaded the route leading to the Lagos State House of Assembly, preventing a coalition of protesters from delivering a letter containing their demands.

The protest, led by the Take-It-Back Movement in collaboration with other civil society organisations, was due to the alleged abuse of Nigeria’s Cybercrime Act and the declaration of “state of emergency” in Rivers State.

Demonstrators had earlier converged beneath the Ikeja Bridge, with placards bearing messages of discontent before proceeding toward the Assembly complex.

However, they were halted by a group of armed policemen stationed just meters from the gate, creating a stand-off that lasted nearly two hours.

Despite the blockade, protesters insisted on submitting their letter. No official from the Assembly appeared to receive the document, intensifying the group’s frustration.

Addressing the press, Juwon Sanyaolu, National Coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement, condemned the police action, describing it as a clear infringement on citizens’ constitutional rights.

“The policemen are preventing us from accessing the House of Assembly. It is the people’s assembly, so why are they blocking it?” Sanyaolu
questioned.

“They are impeding our rights to movement, peaceful assembly, and protest,” he added.

He also raised concerns over the arrest and alleged brutal dispersal of protesters in other states, including Abuja, Yobe, Gombe, and Rivers, calling for their immediate release.

According to Sanyaolu, the Lagos protest was a preliminary action, warning that if the federal government fails to address their demands, a larger nationwide protest will erupt in August.

“This is a warning action. When we return in August, we will shake the entire country and the entire world,” he declared.