COVID-19 Protest: Ibeju-Lekki Youths Demands Unconditional Release Of Colleagues

COVID-19 Protest: Ibeju-Lekki Youths Demands Unconditional Release Of Colleagues

Youths in Ibeju-Lekki part of Lagos State, have called for unconditional release of some their colleagues who were arrested by the men of Lagos State Police Command, for allegedly protest against the lockdown directive and stay at home order of President Muhammadu Buhari and Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu, governor of Lagos State.

It would be recalled that the police had on Monday, arrested some youths in the area for allegedly protest against the lockdown directive and attacked some police.

However the youths in the area under the auspices of Ibeju-Lekki People’s Forum, have debunked the police claim that the arrested youths were caught protesting against the lockdown directive and stay at home order. 

The youths rather claimed that the protest was basically against the foreign and local workers in the factory of Dangote refinery, who were allowed to move freely and carried out their daily activities despite the lock-down directive, by the order of Akodo Divisional Police Officer Akodo, while the indigenes were barred from moving around.

The youths in a statement signed by the youths’ leadership and captioned: “Re: protest and attack on police officers and some staffs of Dangote Refinery by youths in Ibeju-Lekki; A call for the immediate release of 100 (one hundred) innocent youths arrested during the random operations by men and officers of the Lagos State Police Command” issued and email to newsdishng.com today, also said as the time of writing the statement, about 20 youths are missing, three others were fatally injured and several residents of their community have been displaced.

The youth therefore call on the Lagos State government and the Commissioner of Police, to release the arrested youths so that they can reconcile with their family. 
Parts of the community youth’s statement reads: “this press release has become necessary in view of the sponsored, false, unrelenting and misleading media attacks against the people of IBEJUy-LEKKI and particularly youths. We would ordinarily not have issued this press release as the case and all other matters arising thereto are mob actions and actions of miscreants who are hell bent at giving the community a negative name. However, we are constrained and compelled to puncture the ‘half-truths and misleading’ story in a bid to inform the public and set matters straight. We also condemn in all its entirety the attack on staffs of Dangote and some police officers. 

“First and foremost, it must be stated categorically that the protest was carried out by some miscreant who are not resident in the community and left the scene of the crime immediately after they were dispersed by the police.

“Secondly, the police who were over powered by the angry protesters ran for their lives only to return after few hours and began indiscriminately arresting innocent citizens. 

“Thirdly, the police went as far as entering the private apartments of some indigenes of Eleko, Museyo, Idado, Orimedu, Magbon Alade, Akodo and Idasho communities to arrest people in the front of their houses, seized their phones at gun point. 

“The police have so far arrested over 100 youths and dumped them at Area ‘C’ Command, Kafaru Tinubu House, Ojuelegba, Lagos State, without access to their families and their lawyers

“The police of Area ‘C’ Command, Panti, Lagos State Police Command and the PPRO all denied their lawyers access to the over 100 youths arrested by the police. Information reaching their lawyers and family members has it that they were subjected to tortures, hunger, starvation and inducement to make false confession that they were at the scene of the crime. 

“We condemn the continuous arrest and detention of our youths as they are peace loving and absolute respecter of the law.  While we also condemned the attack on police officers, we urge the CP Lagos to immediately release the arrested youths and tender and unreserved apology to the arrested youths and their families for detaining them more that the time allowed by law. 

“It must be stated here that the over 100 youths arrested and detained are only being hounded, pilloried, detained, oppressively punished and FORCED to implicate themselves and other indigenes of the community. 

“As at the time of writing this press release, we state categorically that about 20 youths are still missing, 3 are fatally injured and lots of people are displaced due to the action of the police. 

“It is worthy for us to state it clears that really and truly there was a face-off between the police and some miscreants in Ibeju-lekki. The police on their part succeeded in dispersing the angry protesters and on further investigation, it was revealed that the protest broke out when some foreigners and some Nigerians who claimed to work with Dangote Refinery were allowed by the DPO Akodo to move freely and carry out their daily activities despite the lock-down and some people in the community were not allowed to move around in the name of lock-down. So, in solidarity for the masses of the people the protesters took to the street.

“In the meantime, we strongly call on the Lagos State government to prevail on the CP Lagos to release the youths so that they can be reconciled with their families”.