Follow Us on Google
By Lukman Olabiyi
Rights groups, lawyers and activists have condemned the detention of 49 Yoruba Nation agitators arrested on Saturday July 3 in Ojota, Lagos by the men of the Nigerian Police.
The police had on July 5 taken the detainees to the State Magistrates’ Court to secure an order to further detained them in its custody pending investigation. But the action, has attracted wide criticism.
Different rights groups and lawyers have also called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN, to call the police to order and not to undermine the constitution of the country.
Kunle Adegoke, SAN, was among the lawyers who condemned the detention of the protesters, saying the action of the police amounted to violation of human rights and breach of the constitutional right of the protesters.
He said there is no section of the constitution that restrained citizens from staging peaceful protests, nor attached condition to staging of protests.
A Yoruba self-determination group, Yoruba Ko’ya Liberation Movement (YKLM), also shared same view with various stakeholders who condemned the action of the police.
The group, in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Oluwajuyitan, also called for the release of the detained protesters.
Similarly, in a statement issued by its president, Olasupo Ojo, the Centre for the Rule of Law gave details of how the protesters were allegedly unlawfully arrested, but called for their release.
“We hereby call on the Governor of Lagos State and the Attorney General of Lagos State, within whose territory the violations occurred and is continuing, to intervene immediately and prevent further injustice under their watch by halting any further abuse of the rights of the victims presently languishing in over-stretched police custody and ordering their release without further delay.”
