Protesters and Police clash at Lekki Expressway toll.
As usual a supposed peaceful protest embarked upon by residents of Lekki over the planned tolling of the Lekki Toll gate, turned awry after suspected hoodlums took on the protesters prompting policemen to disperse the crowd of protesters.
The protest rally which was led by the chairman of the Lekki Phase 1 Residents Association, Wole Akala began from the Epe end of the road in the early hours of yesterday.
The rally tagged: “Occupy Toll Gate” Was meant to be a sit in protest near the Lekki Toll Plaza by residents ahead of the planned commencement of tolling tomorrow by the Lekki Concessioning Company (LCC) with the active collaboration of the state government.
The residents had mobilised men and materials including the Lekki Peninsula Phase 1 Residents Association Security Patrol vehicle with the plate number, XS611 BDG which they parked at strategic locations.
The protesters carried food, drinks and placards. Most of them wore white t-shirts with the inscription: “NOTTOLA” meaning “No To Tolling On Lekki Axis!” also carried different placards which bore the following messages: “Scrap Lekki Toll”, “ ”Three Tolls in one Local Government Area? Madness!!!”, “No To Fencing!”, ““No To Privatisation”, “No Payment For Unfinished Road!!!”
However, as the protest began to gather steam, a team of policemen arrested Akala at the Lekki Phase 1 roundabout and drove him away in a Lagos State Environment Task Force Black-maria vehicle with plate number LA76 BA01.
Amidst shouts of “No More Toll gate”,” All we’re saying, no more tollgates!” “Shoot your guns!” the protest rally matched towards the tollgate just as the police had a hectic time controlling the crowd.
One of the protesters, Sotade Olayinka, coordinator, Youth Movement, said: “As a government you cannot ignorantly conclude that only multi-millionaires are living along this route. Over 50 per cent of the people living here are not millionaires.
If you take N500 from a motor vehicle everyday, from 50, 000 commercial motor vehicles on this route is N25millioneveryday.
In a month it is N750million. In a year it is N9billion. It means that in six years you would have made N54billion. And you have concessioned this road for 30 years.”
Echoing similar sentiments, ace Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, also a resident in the neighbourhood said: “We do not want any tolling on this road at all because we do not have an alternative route to follow.
The so-called alternative route belongs to Oniru. When we tried to pass there when they were doing this road, it was cordoned off, it was blocked. And there are too many lanes in here for people to pass through there.
Speaking earlier, the DPO of Elemoro Police Division, Ywamhi Bello, said he didn’t get any official notification on the protest and only heard from the grapevine that a protest was in the offing.
Pressed further, he said: “While we are not against people protesting, we shall not condone a situation where the protesters may try to infringe on the right of others by blocking the right of way.
Ebun Adegboruwa, a lawyer and member of the Lekki Residents Association, who had sent a text message on Friday on the protest said: “We had already spread mats near the kerbs. We didn’t go anywhere near the toll gate. There were thugs allegedly recruited by LCC who infiltrated our midst and began to beat up our members.
And the police decided to seize the opportunity by firing live bullets into the air. And they started beating up our members. It was thereafter police started shooting live bullets into the crowd. Two of our members we are lying critically ill now. We don’t know their fate as I speak to you.” Among those arrested was Chima Nweze, a community in Lekki Phase 1.
The protest rally which was led by the chairman of the Lekki Phase 1 Residents Association, Wole Akala began from the Epe end of the road in the early hours of yesterday.
The rally tagged: “Occupy Toll Gate” Was meant to be a sit in protest near the Lekki Toll Plaza by residents ahead of the planned commencement of tolling tomorrow by the Lekki Concessioning Company (LCC) with the active collaboration of the state government.
The residents had mobilised men and materials including the Lekki Peninsula Phase 1 Residents Association Security Patrol vehicle with the plate number, XS611 BDG which they parked at strategic locations.
The protesters carried food, drinks and placards. Most of them wore white t-shirts with the inscription: “NOTTOLA” meaning “No To Tolling On Lekki Axis!” also carried different placards which bore the following messages: “Scrap Lekki Toll”, “ ”Three Tolls in one Local Government Area? Madness!!!”, “No To Fencing!”, ““No To Privatisation”, “No Payment For Unfinished Road!!!”
However, as the protest began to gather steam, a team of policemen arrested Akala at the Lekki Phase 1 roundabout and drove him away in a Lagos State Environment Task Force Black-maria vehicle with plate number LA76 BA01.
Amidst shouts of “No More Toll gate”,” All we’re saying, no more tollgates!” “Shoot your guns!” the protest rally matched towards the tollgate just as the police had a hectic time controlling the crowd.
One of the protesters, Sotade Olayinka, coordinator, Youth Movement, said: “As a government you cannot ignorantly conclude that only multi-millionaires are living along this route. Over 50 per cent of the people living here are not millionaires.
If you take N500 from a motor vehicle everyday, from 50, 000 commercial motor vehicles on this route is N25millioneveryday.
In a month it is N750million. In a year it is N9billion. It means that in six years you would have made N54billion. And you have concessioned this road for 30 years.”
Echoing similar sentiments, ace Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, also a resident in the neighbourhood said: “We do not want any tolling on this road at all because we do not have an alternative route to follow.
The so-called alternative route belongs to Oniru. When we tried to pass there when they were doing this road, it was cordoned off, it was blocked. And there are too many lanes in here for people to pass through there.
Speaking earlier, the DPO of Elemoro Police Division, Ywamhi Bello, said he didn’t get any official notification on the protest and only heard from the grapevine that a protest was in the offing.
Pressed further, he said: “While we are not against people protesting, we shall not condone a situation where the protesters may try to infringe on the right of others by blocking the right of way.
Ebun Adegboruwa, a lawyer and member of the Lekki Residents Association, who had sent a text message on Friday on the protest said: “We had already spread mats near the kerbs. We didn’t go anywhere near the toll gate. There were thugs allegedly recruited by LCC who infiltrated our midst and began to beat up our members.
And the police decided to seize the opportunity by firing live bullets into the air. And they started beating up our members. It was thereafter police started shooting live bullets into the crowd. Two of our members we are lying critically ill now. We don’t know their fate as I speak to you.” Among those arrested was Chima Nweze, a community in Lekki Phase 1.
Reacting to the development, The Lagos State government yesterday reacted to the protest saying it smacked of political sponsorship.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Aderemi Ibirogba said while it is the fundamental right of the citizens to protest, there should never be recourse to violence.
While expressing regrets that some journalists and media organisations were affected by the fracas which reportedly broke out at the scene of the protest.
Commissioner noted that reports reaching the State Government indicated that the law enforcement agents had to step in to prevent a breakdown of law and order when alleged thugs arrived the scene and fighting broke out.
According to the Commissioner, the Police stepped in to restore law and order and have made some arrests including a top Peoples Democratic Party candidate who contested and lost during the last general elections, a development which showed that the protest itself was politically motivated.
Ibirogba cautioned against the politicization of every issue including developmental issues with clear implications for the welfare of the people and the image of the country as a whole.
He said broad based consultations had been carried out and several conditions set by the people in the Lekki axis including the provision of alternative routes and provision of high capacity buses had been met before an earlier suspension on tolling was lifted.
Ibirogba said government would probe deep into the issue and prosecute masterminds of the reported violence during the protest.
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