Just In: Nigerian Police deny #EndSARS lawyers access to #Lekkitollgate protesters

Nigerian Police Saturday, denied #EndSARS lawyers access to #Lekkitollgate protesters . A lawyer, Tola Onayemi, who provides legal aid for #EndSARS protesters has revealed that police is denying lawyers access to arrested protesters.

Other Lawyers engaged by organisers of the EndSARs protest to secure the freedom of arrested protesters have been denied access to their clients.

At least 23 persons, including passersby, have been arrested by operatives of the Lagos Police Command deployed to the Lekki Tollgate.

The operatives, who were deployed to the location since Friday, were seen chasing and arresting anyone they considered a protester.

Those arrested were alleged to be members of the #OccupyLekkiTollgate and #ENDSARS2 groups who vowed to protest in spite of warnings by the Lagos State and Federal Governments.

In a tweet, @fkabudu , said that lawyers had been arranged to help free those who were arrested.

“Our lawyers are getting ready to head to Adeniji station, or wherever they will take them,” Abudu wrote on Twitter. “I really want to know the made up justification for these unlawful arrests because these people had just gotten there. “

Update: Our lawyers are there now, but they won't give them access to the station or anyone arrested.

Usual tactics, they claim the Area Commander has to be there first. Now trying to reach the AC. We have 19 names but they say they have 14 at the station. No way to confirm yet https://t.co/NZPdUosf7w

— FK. (@fkabudu) February 13, 2021

The #OccupyLekkitollgate protest and a counter-protest, #DefendLagos, were scheduled to hold at the same time Lekki toll gate by 7 a.m. on Saturday.

The protest and counter-protest are fallouts of the ruling to reopen the Lekki tollgate by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry despite an ongoing investigation into the shooting of peaceful protesters by Nigerian soldiers on October 20, 2020 and other alleged human rights abuses by the police.

Meanwhile, the group planning #DefendLagos rally, to counter those carrying out #OccupyLekkiTollGate protest, have suspended their planned activities.

The decision, according to the convener of the rally, Alabi Oladimeji, is to respect the federal and state governments.