Police vow to arrest protesters during Buhari’s Lagos visit

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi has vowed that the police will arrest and prosecute members of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, planning to use the occasion of the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to protest the Land Use Charge law and disrupt activities. A statement from the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State, Chike Oti, said the attention of the Commissioner of Police had been drawn to the  news credited to the Nigeria Bar Association Chairman, Ikeja branch, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana that the NBA Ikeja branch would use the occasion of the visit of the  President to protest  the Land Use Charge policy of the Lagos State Government.
The statement said the CP believed strongly that the planned protest by the NBA was the handiwork of mischief makers who were using the NBA as a launching pad to possibly compromise  the security  in place  for the presidential visit.
“It must be recalled that on  the 12th of March, 2018, the Lagos State Police Command availed the NBA, Ikeja branch its security assets and escorted them to the Government House, Alausa to protest the increase in the Land Use Charge.  At Alausa, they were addressed and afterwards escorted back to their base.
“It is baffling that the same NBA whose right to protest has never been denied to use the auspicious occasion of the President’s visit  to protest and disrupt the occasion and by extension compromise the security of the President is to say the least most incomprehensible.
“For the avoidance of doubt,  the Lagos State Police Command will not tolerate any protest from the NBA or from any group or individual for that matter during the visit of Mr President whom Lagosians are ready to receive warmly.  The NBA and any  group wanting to protest at this time  are warned to jettison the idea or face dire consequences which may include arrest and prosecution of participants,” the statement warned.
“It is curious that of all the  NBA branches in Lagos, it is only the Ikeja branch that has been using the option of protesters and civil disobedience despite several options available to it, thus, lending credence to the intelligence report that the Chairman of the NBA is a pawn in the hands of some disgruntled politicians. Please be warned,” the statement added