By Christopher Oji 

Human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), has warned the Federal Government against the deployment of the military during the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

Also, non indigenes in Lagos have called on the police to guarantee their safety before, during and after the election, adding that the Force should also protect their businesses, especially markets, from hoodlums who have vowed to deal with them.

Speaking at a security meeting with critical stakeholders, comprising traditional rulers, market leaders, activists, and non-indigenes at the instance of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Idowu Owohunwa, Falana said the conduct of the presidential election wasn’t very impressive. He said despite the assurance by the INEC leadership,  what Nigerians saw on the field was a different matter entirely.

“We, therefore, challenge the leadership to study what happened on February 25, with a view to having a better outing on the gubernatorial election, on March 11. We cannot afford to invest so much funds, hope and expectations in the election, only to have it messed up. I expect the parties that are concerned to collate the evidence at their disposal, to challenge the laws.

“If the next government will not address the problems confronting us, Nigerians must not allow them to have peace of mind. Government generally may breach the law, it is the duty of citizens to be up and doing, and that is why all of us must be activists,” he added. 

He condemned the militarisation of last Saturday’s election, saying the government should not deploy military personnel for election duty for the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

However, civil society groups (CSOs) blamed the  Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the pockets of violence that erupted in parts of the country during last Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections. He said the police should not waste time in prosecuting suspects who were arrested during the last election, to stand as a deterrent to others who may want to foment trouble during the next election.

The CSOs also blamed the INEC Chairman, Mr. Mahmud Yakubu, for conducting what they described as the worst election in the history of Nigeria.

An Igbo leader, Nbaonu Ugochukwu Godfrey, who spoke on behalf of Ndigbo in Lagos, said following the threat to non indigenes, he would want the CP to guarantee the safety of non indigenes, especially Ndigbo if they would be allowed to participate during the election. 

In his opening remark, CP Owohunwa, urged Lagosians, especially the youths, not to allow themselves to be used as instruments for violence.

Owohunwa said the specific purpose of the urgent meeting was to review current security developments in the aftermath of the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections in the state, and the tension and wide apprehension emanating therefrom. He said it had become imperative, granted that from the police operational perspective, since the conclusion of the exercise on Saturday, February 25, 2023, the police have responded to not less than 27 security-related callouts by Lagosians. 

“Instructively, however, nearly 80 percent of such presumed distress calls was found to be informed by false feedbacks that were largely informed by apprehension and misinformation, and fuelled by fake news from elements that seem to be bent on feasting on the post-election tension to destabilise the peace and order in Lagos State for inexplicable reasons.   

“The few instances that turned out to be real were largely attempts by misguided local urchins to threaten citizens at specific locations. Such were localised, uncoordinated and unpremeditated, and were all promptly mitigated by the police, while several arrests were made. 

“In addition, we also upscaled our deployments across all identified flash points and vulnerable localities, while also sustaining patrols and visibility policing across the public space, in order to reassure Lagosians of their safety and deter possible mischief makers from manifesting any plan that might be inimical to peace and security across the state. 

“While all these efforts are being emplaced, a major challenge remains the genuine fear of crime by Lagosians on the one hand, and the manipulation of the media space by faceless elements to spread fake news that could fuel apprehension, sense of insecurity, and engender major security threat. Regardless of the reality on ground, some facts remain fundamental,” he said.

Owohunwa further said Lagos is home to all, and that Lagosians desire and deserve peace.

On his own, a human rights lawyer, Monday Ubani, called on the police to find ways of talking to touts and their leaders on why they should not be involved in violence.