Several shots were fired into the air yesterday when a group, Free Lagos Movement, converged on the Lagos Airport Hotel in Ikeja for a media briefing.
The conference tagged, “Setting Lagos free from Bourdillon Bondage #OtogeLagos”, was to be convened by individuals from different professional callings, human rights organisations, trade groups, artisans and activists.
The meeting was believed to be a move against the perceived overbearing influence of a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in Lagos politics.
Among the conveners were a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba, Tokunbo Afikuyomi and the spokesman of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin.
Drama started when information filtered in that policemen had surrounded the premises of the venue preventing four BRT buses conveying participants at the conference from gaining access.
Policemen, who came in about 10 patrol vehicles and a task force ‘black maria’ truck, shot into the air to disperse the crowd.
One of the conveners, Mark Adebayo, who later addressed journalists, condemned the action by the police.
On the motive for the gathering, he said it “was borne out of the collective realisation of common yearning for freedom from arrogant domination, unprecedented corruption, dictatorial manipulations and the unconscionable commandeering of Lagos State’s commonwealth by the Bourdillon power cultists who have turned Lagos, its people and treasury into a family heritage for twenty agonising years.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Chike Oti, said the police got information that two groups of different political interests were converging at the same time in the hotel and the police moved in prevent any untoward event.
He said: “As we are concerned, we don’t know who they are, they are faceless people. We felt if we allow different interest groups to hold a rally, there would be a bloodshed. Each was chanting different slogan and we dispersed them peacefully to avoid any untoward event.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Muazu Zubairu, later said the organizers of the conference did not seek permission from the command for the event.
In a petition to the state Commissioner of Police, the group condemned the unleashing of thugs on voters at various polling units during the Saturday’s election, calling on the police to arrest and bring perpetrators to book.
