Protesters and fans gathered for a candlelight procession in memory of the late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad were reportedly dispersed with tear gas at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos State on Thursday night.
The procession, organised by Mohbad’s management, was intended to honour the late artist.
Participants, dressed in white T-shirts, played and danced to Mohbad’s music as a tribute.
However, the memorial was said to have turned to chaos after police officers present at the event fired teargas at sympathizers.
Videos on social media showed officers shooting canisters as panic ensued among the participants.
DAILY GIST reported that Mohbad passed away last Tuesday under mysterious and controversial circumstances, provoking activists to demand justice and a thorough probe into his death.
Analysts say the police force likely feared the procession could evolve into an anti-government protest. But critics argue the aggressive dispersal of unarmed citizens mourning Mohbad was an overreach
Popular skit maker, Oluwadolaz, took to his Instagram page to claim, “We have been dispersed with teargas…”
In a video circulating online, a group of young protesters was captured in a frantic retreat, fleeing for safety, while the Skitmaker hastily departed, vehemently expressing his outrage at the police’s use of tear gas
However, conflicting reports emerged on the incident with one individual claiming that the tear gas came from an unidentified group that arrived unexpectedly.
The attendees emphasised that they were peaceful and that the police officers were securing the gathering.
Meanwhile, clarifications were made by a popular On-Air Personality, Do2dtun, on his X handle that the event was a candlelight procession and tribute concert, not a protest.
He wrote, “Honesty over Honesty Nigerians do not listen. WE DO THE MOST. This procession ended at Muri Okunola Park over 3 hours ago.
We ended and all left. Some still went to converge at the Lekki toll gate. It is not a protest. It is a CANDLELIGHT PROCESSION.”
The procession started at 5 p.m. and culminated in a tribute concert at Muri Okunola Park.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command has reacted to the incident in a statement issued by its spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin on Friday
The statement reads: “The Lagos State Police Command is fully aware of false narratives making the rounds in relation to the dispersal of crowds at the Lekki Toll Gate yesterday, September 21, 2023.
It is instructive to note that the Lagos State Police Command had an agreement with the organizers of the candle light procession that the procession was to end at 8pm latest and should terminate at Muri Okunola, Victoria Island. It was clearly stated for avoidance of doubt that in the interest of all Lagosians and considering the heavy use of the Lekki-Epe Expressway, the Lekki Toll Gate would be a no-go area.
It, however, became disconcerting that after the procession duly ended at Muri Okunola park as agreed, with the police providing optimal security all through, some persons started gathering at the Lekki Toll Gate with intent to manifest objectives extraneous to the #justiceforMohbad initiative.
Being a clear violation of the laid down agreement, the Lagos State Police Command invited the procession organizers who came back and joined the officers on ground in persuading the people at the toll gate to disperse peacefully. The organizers equally sent out messages on social media asking everyone to go home, clarifying in clear terms that it was not a protest but a procession which had been successfully concluded. This persuasion and appeal went on for hours, to which the police and organizers met defiance, both in words and action. At this point, all lanes in and out of Lekki had been totally blocked. Vehicular movement on the ever-busy expressway had been brought to a total standstill, leading to traffic build up.
Having gone down this road before, having learnt from previous similar encounters, and having studied the pattern in the crowd, the red flags and early warning signs of total chaos and anarchy were discernible.
Therefore, in fulfillment of our mandate to protect life and property, maintain law and order and prevent crimes, we adopted the least harmful method of crowd dispersal, following the failure of verbal persuasion – the use of teargas. Not a single live ammunition was fired! The police adopted crowd management best practices in engaging the unruly crowd. No life was lost neither was there any injury.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, hereby warns mischief makers that any person or group of persons found disturbing the peace of the state, under whatever guise, would be promptly arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The Lagos State Police Command also appreciates the procession organizers for keeping faith with the Command and assures all supporters of #justiceforMohbad and Lagosians at large that it would continue to prioritize their safety and security at all times.
Meanwhile, the ongoing investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of Mr Ilerioluwa Aloba is progressing well. The general public are, therefore, requested to avoid creating unnecessary distractions and give the Command the stable internal security space to undertake a conclusive and timeous investigation.
In this process, it should be noted that the Lagos State Police Command has, as promised, been interfacing closely and regularly with all meaningful support groups of #justiceforMohbad. This synergy shall be sustained while the general public are assured that they would be continually updated on the progress of the investigation.”
