Police in Lagos, on Friday, threatened to deal with Yoruba Nation agitators if they go ahead with their planned mega rally scheduled for today at Ojota park.
State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, in his reaction to a statement by the agitators insisting that their rally would hold, stressed that the force was ready to stop the agitators in the state on Saturday and warned members of the secessionist group once again to steer clear of the state.
On Thursday, during a joint press briefing with Lagos Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos police commissioner had outlawed the planned rally, saying intelligence report revealed plans to hijack the protest.
The police commissioner, who reiterated his position on Friday while addressing operatives of the police, Department of State Services and Federal Road Safety Commission at the Command headquarters, said the security forces were to confront the agitators.
Odumosu said security agents embarked on a show-of-force as a warning to the organisers of the mega rally or any group of persons planning to stage any rally or procession in the state.
State Police Public Relations Oficer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement later issued by the Command, further warned, “The Command and other security agencies, including the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), FRSC and DSS have put measures in place to prevent any act of lawlessness, oppression and intimidation, of any kind, in the state on the said date, 3rd July, 2021 and beyond as Lagos State cannot afford to record and experience the violence orchestrated by some individuals during the 2020 ENDSARS protest that led to massive destruction of lives and properties in the state.
“The Command still reiterates its stance that anyone caught participating or facilitating the so-called mega rally in Lagos State will be dealt with within the ambits of the law.”