Some protesters defied a court order, restricting the End Bad Governance in Nigeria demonstrations to two parks, to rally at other locations in Lagos State.
At the start of the ten-day protest on Thursday 1 August, about 50 protesters trooped to the Lekki Toll Plaza to complain about bad governance.
They carried placards with the inscriptions, “Bring our fuel subsidy back,” “End the sufferings of Nigerians,” and “Bad leaders and hunger.”
Some demonstrators said their homes are far from the designated protest sites in Freedom Park and Peace Park.
They insisted they had the right to protest without court restrictions.
A police plea to get them to move failed, and the police, led by Area J commander, Yemisi Ojo, teargassed the protesters.
The police also used water cannons to chase the protesters from the toll plaza.
Police Commissioner Backs Officers
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, supported the teargassing of the protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza.
He said the protesters violated the Lagos State High Court order restricting the End Bad Governance protest to Freedom and Peace Parks.
The Lekki Toll Plaza is infamous for the killing of protesters in 2020.
That was the year the Nigerian military shot at peaceful protesters on 20 October 2020.
The shooting happened under the darkness of night after soldiers were deployed to disperse protesters defying a curfew imposed earlier in the day.
The number of protesters killed is still contested but rights groups believe no fewer than 15 lost their lives.
