Armed police officers manning Lekki Tollgate Plaza have arrested about a dozen protesters, the first batch to arrive at the tollgate.
The protest, tagged #OccupyLekkiTollgate, scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, was against the reopening of the tollgate.
The protesters had stormed the tollgate over its repossession by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC).
Read Also: #OccupyLekkiTollGate: Nigerians Plan Another Protest Against Reopening Of Tollgate
The tollgate has been shut down since the shooting incident of October 20, 2020. However, last week, the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the #EndSARS crisis ordered that LCC should take control of the facility.
The ruling triggered outrage and some persons and groups vowed to protest against the verdict of the panel.
Read Also: #OccupyLekkiTollGate: No Protest Will Be Allowed To Hold – Lagos Police Commissioner Declares
However, both the federal and Lagos State Governments warned people against staging any protest over the issue.
The Police subsequently deployed officers to the scene and on Saturday morning some of those who defied the warning were arrested.
Read Also: #OccupyLekkiTollGate: Police Deployed To Lekki Toll Plaza, Obalende, Other Areas (Photos)
Another group of protesters, who tagged theirs #DefendLagos, had also planned to gather at the site at the same time, threatening the former group to stay away.
Amidst the threat of violence, the police and federal the state governments warned both groups to shelve the protests.
On Friday, armed police officers embarked on a show of force across the city, reiterating its call for protesters to stay away from the tollgate.
On Saturday morning, dozens of armed police officers were stationed at the tollgate awaiting any protesting group.
At about 7 a.m., about three patrol vans filled with police officers headed towards Lekki. It was unclear what their mission was.
A few minutes later, a group of protesters were rounded up at the toll plaza.
In a video shared on Twitter, one of the arrested protesters said;
We have been arrested. Over ten of us. We are kept in a black maria stationed at the toll gate now.
More details to come.
See some photos and videos from the scene of the incident below;
#Lekkitollgate: Police have reportedly begun arresting #Endsars protesterspic.twitter.com/z5ASx92t7g
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) February 13, 2021
#Lekkitollgate : Heavy security presence at Lekki Toll gate, venue for the planned #OccupyLekkiTollGate Protest.#EndSARS pic.twitter.com/BTHEkgZ3LY
— AIT (@AIT_Online) February 13, 2021
VIDEO: Police arrest more than 10 #Lekkitollgate protesters pic.twitter.com/XiPEX4Fc0l
— ‘Fisayo Soyombo (@fisayosoyombo) February 13, 2021
