Police kick against ‘Yoruba nation’ rally, ask protesters to ‘stay away from Lagos’

The Lagos police command has warned those agitating for ‘Yoruba nation’ against holding any rally in the state.

The “Yoruba nation’ agitators, led by Sunday Adeyemo, a youth leader popularly known as Sunday Igboho, have held rallies in different parts of the south-west, with a demonstration scheduled to hold in Lagos on Saturday.

But on Thursday morning, Igboho announced that the Lagos rally had been suspended.

The suspension of the rally was announced after Igboho’s house was attacked, and two persons were said to have been killed while cars and valuable items were destroyed in the early hours of Thursday.

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Hakeem Odumosu, Lagos commissioner of police, warned organisers of the rally to stay away from the state in the interest of the public, noting that anyone caught “participating or facilitating” the rally will be dealt with.

Odumosu noted that the command will not be deceived by the slogan that the rally will be peaceful, adding that the same slogan was used by #EndSARS protesters.

The commissioner said “intelligence report” indicates that some “disgruntled elements” have planned to infiltrate the rally to unleash mayhem on the state.

“The Lagos state police command hereby warns that no rally will be allowed, under whatever guise, in any part of the
state,” he said.

“The command, therefore, warns the organisers and their followers against staging the planned rally and stay clear of streets of Lagos for the interest of the state and the general public, as anyone caught participating or facilitating the rally will be dealt with within the ambit of the law.

“The command will not be cajoled by the so-called organisers that the rally will be peaceful. That was the same slogan adopted by the organisers of the #EndSARS protest that eventually snowballed into crises with attendant massive destruction of lives and properties.

“Intelligence report available to the Police indicates that some disgruntled elements have perfected plans to infiltrate the ranks of the protesters and cause more mayhem and seize the opportunity to attack and loot properties of law-abiding citizens of the state.

“Intelligence also reveals that one Elewe-omo, a transport union leader in Ibadan, Oyo state, has perfected plans to attack the organisers of the rally as a reprisal for the death of one of his followers allegedly killed by one Sunday Igboho’s group during a similar rally organised in Ibadan, Oyo state, sometime ago.

“The cumulative effect of all these is a threat to law and order in the state. The command will not fold its hands and allow disgruntled elements to truncate the peace being enjoyed in the state.”