Despite Police Threat, Lawyers Insist on Lagos Land Use Charge Protest
Lawyers under the aegis of the Ikeja chapter of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) said threats of arrest and prosecution by the Lagos police command cannot stop their planned protest against the recent increase in land use charge by the state government scheduled for Thursday (today).
The Police had warned the association against embarking on the protest, especially on Thursday when President Muhammadu Buhari will be visiting the Lagos.
About 50 armed police officers had stormed the secretariat of the NBA in Ikeja to arrest the branch Chairman, Adesina Ogunlana, for spearheading the rejection of the increment in the LUC on Wednesday.
Nobody was allowed to enter or leave the premises of THE secretariat located in old Lagos Secretariat, GRA, Ikeja for the over four hours the police siege on the premises lasted.
Speaking to our correspondent, Ogunlana narrated how he was threatened by the state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal because the visit of the President to Lagos state coincided with the planned protest by lawyers against the land use charge.
He said, “A team of about 25 police officers, fully armed, came to my office demanding that I should reschedule the proposed protest against Land Use Charge tomorrow.
“I told them, out of respect that the protest cannot be rescheduled.
“Noticing my insistence, another team brought a letter that the commissioner of police wants to see me because he is investigating a petition written against me that our protest is to cause public unrest and disruption of peace.
“They stayed until 7 pm before leaving the secretariat and left words saying we should not go ahead with the protest because they would arrest any of our member that protest tomorrow.
Ogunlana, not yielding to the threat from the police, maintained that the protest would go ahead.
He, however, added that the protest would be done in the afternoon and would not be done in the state capital, Ikeja.
He assured that the protest would not disrupt the visit of the President Buhari to the state.
