Police tear-gas Braithwaite, Nwabueze, others in protest against soldiers.
The police has fired canisters of tear gas at prominent activists and national leaders, including Prof. Ben Nwabueze, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite and former Minister of Finance, Idika Kalu, in Lagos.
Nwabueze, Kalu and Braithwaite were leading some protesters who were demanding an immediate withdrawal of soldiers from the streets of Lagos and reversal of fuel pump price to N65 per litre.
Both foreign and Nigerian journalists were not spared the harsh treatment by the police.
The protesters had converged on the state House of Assembly complex, Alausa in Ikeja at about 10am and were marching to the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, when they ran into a road block by a detachment of police at the Roundabout on the Secretariat Road near 7Up Bottling Company.
The police detachment, led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations in the state command, Tunde Sobulo, fired the first canister at about 11.57am.
The police followed the first shot with several others at about 12.07pm, when the protesters were at a close range to their barricade.
The journalists, who were following the train from Alausa, also scampered to safety like the protesters, as the fumes of the gas took over the air.
Many motorists and commuters who were trapped in the traffic jam, which resulted from the police barricade, also abandoned their vehicles when hit by the fumes of the tear gas.
The secretary of the defunct June 12 Coalition,Nelson Ekujumi, fainted on inhaling the fumes. Soon after he was revived, he was taken in a vehicle to an unnamed hospital.
The protesters made three advances towards the police barricade, and at each of the occasions, had to retreat, as the policemen fired more canisters of the tear gas to disperse them.
When the protesters retreated for the second time, they sat on the road, chanting anti-government songs. One of the songs by the protesters in Yoruba was, “Se democracy leyi? (X2). Won fe fibon pa wa. Se democracy leyi?” (Is this democracy (x2). They want to kill us with guns. Is this democracy?”)
Before the procession aimed for Ojota began at about 11.29am in Alausa, Sobulo arrived with some policemen in a pick-up van with registration number PF 4845 LA at about 11.04am.
Addressing Braitwaite, and some other leaders of the protest, including Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, Sobulo threatened to stop the procession from getting to Ojota.
Nwabueze, Kalu and Braithwaite were leading some protesters who were demanding an immediate withdrawal of soldiers from the streets of Lagos and reversal of fuel pump price to N65 per litre.
Both foreign and Nigerian journalists were not spared the harsh treatment by the police.
The protesters had converged on the state House of Assembly complex, Alausa in Ikeja at about 10am and were marching to the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, when they ran into a road block by a detachment of police at the Roundabout on the Secretariat Road near 7Up Bottling Company.
The police detachment, led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations in the state command, Tunde Sobulo, fired the first canister at about 11.57am.
The police followed the first shot with several others at about 12.07pm, when the protesters were at a close range to their barricade.
The journalists, who were following the train from Alausa, also scampered to safety like the protesters, as the fumes of the gas took over the air.
Many motorists and commuters who were trapped in the traffic jam, which resulted from the police barricade, also abandoned their vehicles when hit by the fumes of the tear gas.
The secretary of the defunct June 12 Coalition,Nelson Ekujumi, fainted on inhaling the fumes. Soon after he was revived, he was taken in a vehicle to an unnamed hospital.
The protesters made three advances towards the police barricade, and at each of the occasions, had to retreat, as the policemen fired more canisters of the tear gas to disperse them.
When the protesters retreated for the second time, they sat on the road, chanting anti-government songs. One of the songs by the protesters in Yoruba was, “Se democracy leyi? (X2). Won fe fibon pa wa. Se democracy leyi?” (Is this democracy (x2). They want to kill us with guns. Is this democracy?”)
Before the procession aimed for Ojota began at about 11.29am in Alausa, Sobulo arrived with some policemen in a pick-up van with registration number PF 4845 LA at about 11.04am.
Addressing Braitwaite, and some other leaders of the protest, including Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, Sobulo threatened to stop the procession from getting to Ojota.
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