20th October, 2021
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu has said that officers had to be deployed to Lekki because of the economic importance of the zone to the state.
He said this while addressing journalists at the tollgate. The Lagos police commissioner said “This is a business environment. I provided them security yesterday at Adeniyi Jones too.”
“I have told them not to stop that they should keep on moving. “We agreed that they should keep moving. Any vehicle that is abandoned, we will take them from here to protective custody.”
Odumosu described arrested protesters as ” miscreants” and claimed that some of them were arrested with machetes and other dangerous weapons.
“We arrested some people now with machetes. These are miscreants. Today is a working day. I called Tope who is one of the leaders, and he said by 10 am, they had left. I spoke to their leader, who represented them at the panel, and he said they had left.”
The police commissioner stated that protesters ought to have a means of identification. “There should be means of identification. If they are organised, then we have a means of identification. They don’t have an agreed leadership. There must be a leader who should be held responsible.”
He also said that he has ordered the release of the journalist who was arrested, stating that the journalist had no means of identity which was why he was arrested.