Reacting to the news of the Nigerian Bar Association Ikeja branch’s plans to stage a protest over the Land Use Charge policy of the Lagos State Government during President Buhari’s visit to Lagos, the state’s commissioner of police has reacted to that.
In a statement signed by the State PRO, the police boss, Chike Oti said the planned protest is nothing but the handiwork of mischief makers, using the NBA’s platform to wreck havoc.
“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” the statement read.
“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. It is curious that of all the NBA branches in Lagos, it is only the Ikeja branch that has been using the option of protest 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”.
