The Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, has explained why tear gas was shot at protesters during the #EndSARS memorial procession at the Lekki toll-gate on Thursday.
Hundeyin explained that the police fired tear gas because of the traffic building at the toll gate after the procession stopped.
He said the police had to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd and relieve traffic.
The PPRO stated this during an interview on Channels TV.
The procession was organised to mark the second anniversary of the lives lost during the #EndSARS protest of October 20, 2020, where security forces allegedly shot at unarmed, peaceful protesters who converged at the toll-gate.
He said, “Everything was going fine until they stopped and started laying the coffins on the ground and all. They were doing all these and traffic at the toll gate was building.
“We needed to ensure that there was free flow of traffic in the area, because the agreement was that the procession would not stop, that was why we fired tear gas. After the crowd was dispersed, no single canister of tear gas was fired again.
“Right now there is free flow of traffic in the area and calm has been restored.”
Responding to question about the protesters that were locked up in the black maria truck, the PPRO said they had all been released.
He said, “Some trouble makers wanted to breech the peace in the area so they were picked up and locked up in the van. But after everything had calmed down and the protesters dispersed they were all released. I can confirm that we have no one in our custody at the toll-gate now.”