Oct 1 protests: Lagos govt insists on two designated venues - Newstrends
Connect with us

metro

Oct 1 protests: Lagos govt insists on two designated venues

Published

on

Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Ishola

Oct 1 protests: Lagos govt insists on two designated venues

The Lagos State Government has advised organisers of the October 1 protest not to disrupt the social and economic activities in the state during their protest saying that the directives of the governor of the State to the Commissioner of Police of Lagos State for maintenance and securing of public safety and public order during the protest stands

The state government also said that a Lagos High Court order which restricted the protest to Freedom and Peace Parks in the Ojota and Ketu areas of the state is still binding.

Recall that the organisers of the October 1 protest at a press briefing last Thursday had stated that the protest in Lagos will commence at Ikeja under bridge at 7:30am, with participants marching through various streets to raise awareness on what they described as ‘anti poor policies’ of the federal government.

They also requested the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Ishola, to provide adequate security for all protesters in line with the Police Establishment Act 2020.

Responding to questions by some journalists on the issue on Sunday, the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN, noted that the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu is not opposed to any group of residents expressing their view about any government by way of public protest, but that such expression must be done within the confines of the law.

Pedro stated that a Lagos High Court had restricted the protest in the state to Freedom and Peace Parks in the state and urged the protesters to respect the court order by confining themselves to the two venues.

He said: “We have and shall continue to engage the civil societies and NGOs in Lagos who are genuinely interested in the development of Lagos State to explain and enlighten them that the Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu is not opposed to any group of residents to express their view about any government by way of public protest as it is their fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of Nigeria 1999.

READ ALSO:

“However the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, association and assembly is not absolute and by virtue of section 45, section 215 (4) of the Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and section 4 & 10(2) of the Police Act, it is lawful for the Governor of Lagos State or the Attorney General of Lagos on his behalf to give the Commissioner of Police of Lagos State directive for maintenance and securing of public safety and public order that may impact on the exercise of these fundamental rights.”

Pedro insisted that the state government would not permit any street protest that can be hijacked by criminal elements whose agenda is destruction of government or other residents’ properties.

“In that respect we advise that the organisers should utilise the designated venues in the State for public protest to wit; Freedom Park and Peace Park for adequate protection and coverage of the protest by members of the press,” he said.

Continuing, Pedro said; “It is the same set or group of people that organised the last protest that are planning the Oct 1st protest, so they should be guided by the interim preservative order of injunction of court restricting public protest in the State to designated venues for the purpose.

“More so a substantive action is pending in court against them wherein an order of Interlocutory and perpetual injunction are being sought to permanently restrict any person or group of persons that wish to organise public protest in Lagos State to do so at designated venues.

“It is settled principle of law that a defendant who is aware of a pending claim or application for injunction against him in a court of law, has an obligation to respect the court process and not engage in the same act sought to be restrained.

“Therefore whether the interim preservative order is subsisting or not, by the subsisting suit, it will be unlawful for any body, civil society or NGO in Lagos to convene any public protest outside the designated venue.

“They should use the designated venues for their protest so that adequate security protection and traffic management can be provided for them to exercise their recognised fundamental right to freedom of speech, association and assembly without fear of the protest being hijacked and turned violence as experienced during the #EndSARS protest.

“The last End bad governance protest in Lagos was violence-free and successful because it was held in designated venues for public protest in the State.

“I believe that if the real intention and plans of the organisers of the protest is to air their views and resentment against government policies and hunger in the land, making use of the designated venue will not be prejudicial to them unless of course they have a different and hidden agenda.

“I would also advise a rethink of the idea of taking over the streets of Lagos for the purpose of the protest bearing in mind that the fundamental rights of other people not interested in the protest should not be infringed upon and that the properties or businesses of other people may be destroyed if the protest is hijacked on the streets.”

Oct 1 protests: Lagos govt insists on two designated venues

Loading

metro

Kaduna APC Calls for Probe Into Alleged Attacks, Vandalism

Published

on

Osun 2026: APC Inaugurates 292-Member Campaign Council, Declares Victory a Must
Kaduna APC Calls for Probe Into Alleged Attacks, Vandalism

The Kaduna State chapter of the APC has appealed for calm after reporting alleged attacks, vandalism and intimidation involving its members and party-related facilities.

The party wants the police and other security agencies to determine what happened and identify those responsible for any offences established by the evidence.

APC Publicity Secretary Sani Dan Azare said vehicles were allegedly damaged during an incident at party premises, while some members and supporters were reportedly assaulted or intimidated elsewhere in the state.

Rather than draw conclusions from the competing claims, the party asked security agencies to examine all credible leads and evidence before taking action.

The appeal comes as political activities intensify in Kaduna ahead of the 2027 elections. The state has already recorded a separate dispute involving ADC supporters and security operatives during a campaign-related walk, with the parties giving different accounts of the confrontation.

The APC said such incidents should not undermine what it described as progress made in reducing political, ethnic and religious tensions in the state.

It therefore urged political parties, candidates and supporters to conduct their activities peacefully and within the law.

Dan Azare also asked APC members and support groups to avoid retaliation, warning against any form of self-help.

Let the facts be established. Let due process prevail. Let the law take its course” the party said.

The APC added that anyone with relevant information should make it available to security agencies to help establish what happened and determine whether anyone should face legal action.

 

Kaduna APC Calls for Probe Into Alleged Attacks, Vandalism

Loading

Continue Reading

metro

Fatal NURTW Leadership Clash in Osun Leaves Two Dead; State Orders Park Shut Down

Published

on

Fatal NURTW Leadership Clash in Osun Leaves Two Dead; State Orders Park Shut Down

As Olalekan Oyeyemi is buried in Osogbo, authorities transfer murder probe to the State Criminal Investigation Department.

(more…)

Loading

Continue Reading

metro

Lagos Power Outage: Ikeja Electric Blames TCN as Businesses, Homes Groan

Published

on

Lagos Power Outage: Ikeja Electric Blames TCN as Businesses, Homes Groan

Lagos Power Outage: Ikeja Electric Blames TCN as Businesses, Homes Groan

Residents and businesses in several parts of Lagos are enduring prolonged power outages, with Ikeja Electric attributing the disruption to significant constraints on the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) network.

The development has triggered frustration among electricity consumers who say the prolonged blackout is disrupting household activities and commercial operations, while increasing their dependence on generators and other alternative sources of power.

Ikeja Electric, one of Nigeria’s largest electricity distribution companies, said the situation was caused by a reduction in the amount of electricity available to it from the transmission network.

According to the company, the transmission constraints have affected the volume of power it can distribute to customers across parts of its franchise area, resulting in extended periods of load-shedding.

The company said it was engaging with TCN over the situation and was working to improve supply to affected communities as soon as additional transmission capacity becomes available.

The latest disruption has affected customers in several parts of Lagos, with residents in areas including Akoka, Egbeda, Ojodu Berger, Ogudu and Shomolu reporting prolonged interruptions.

Some residents said electricity supply had been unavailable for several consecutive days, while others reported intermittent restoration followed by further outages.

The disruption has also affected small businesses and households that rely heavily on electricity for daily activities.

Business operators such as barbers, hairdressers, food vendors, cold-room operators, charging-centre owners, internet-dependent businesses and other small enterprises have been particularly affected by the unreliable supply.

For many households, prolonged outages have also affected refrigeration, water pumping, phone charging, internet access and other basic activities that depend on electricity.

READ ALSO:

The situation has forced some residents and businesses to increase their use of generators, adding to operating costs at a time when fuel and other energy expenses remain high.

Some consumers have also resorted to commercial charging centres and other paid alternatives to keep phones, rechargeable devices and business equipment operational.

The latest disruption comes amid continuing challenges across Nigeria’s electricity value chain, where problems involving generation, gas supply, transmission infrastructure and distribution networks can affect electricity availability to consumers.

TCN operates the country’s transmission network, while electricity distribution companies such as Ikeja Electric are responsible for delivering available power to customers through their distribution networks.

This distinction is significant in the latest Lagos outage because Ikeja Electric has attributed the immediate supply shortfall to constraints on the transmission network, rather than announcing a fault affecting its entire distribution system.

Power interruptions in Lagos, however, have previously resulted from different causes.

Parts of the state have experienced outages linked to distribution equipment faults, infrastructure damage, planned maintenance and other incidents affecting electricity infrastructure.

Earlier disruptions in Lagos have also been associated with incidents such as tanker fires damaging electricity infrastructure, while transmission maintenance and constraints have caused supply reductions in other instances.

The varying causes mean that the duration and geographical spread of an outage can differ significantly from one community or electricity feeder to another.

Ikeja Electric has apologised to affected customers over the latest disruption and said it understands the difficulties caused by the reduced supply.

READ ALSO:

The company said it was monitoring developments and engaging relevant stakeholders in an effort to restore improved electricity supply.

The latest development has again highlighted concerns over the vulnerability of Lagos residents and businesses to fluctuations in electricity supply.

For many small businesses, prolonged blackouts mean additional spending on diesel or petrol-powered generators, while households face similar costs when alternative electricity sources are required.

The disruption also comes at a time when businesses are already dealing with high operating costs, making extended reliance on generators an additional financial burden.

Consumers have increasingly called for more reliable electricity supply and better coordination among the different operators in Nigeria’s power sector.

The TCN, generation companies and distribution companies form interconnected parts of the electricity supply chain, meaning a constraint at one stage can quickly affect consumers downstream.

For Ikeja Electric customers, the immediate expectation is that transmission constraints will ease and supply will gradually improve across the affected feeders.

Until then, residents and businesses in the affected areas may continue to experience irregular electricity supply depending on available transmission capacity and the operational condition of individual distribution feeders.

The latest outage has therefore renewed the debate over Nigeria’s long-standing electricity challenges and the need for sustained investment in power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure to provide more stable electricity for homes and businesses.

For Lagos, where thousands of businesses depend on electricity for daily operations, prolonged outages carry consequences beyond inconvenience, affecting productivity, household welfare and the cost of doing business.

Ikeja Electric said it would continue to provide updates as the situation develops and work with TCN to improve supply to affected customers.

Lagos Power Outage: Ikeja Electric Blames TCN as Businesses, Homes Groan

Loading

Continue Reading

Trending