Heavy police presence at Amotekun rallies
There was heavy police presence at venues of the rallies organised yesterday by the Yoruba World Congress (YWC) in all the states in the South West in support of the regional security outfit, Amotekun.
The YWC had on Monday called on “Yoruba people within and beyond the shores of Nigeria” to troop out and participate in a protest rally in support of Operation Amotekun.
But the police presence had reduced the magnitude of the event, especially in Lagos State, where they prevented the huge crowd that gathered early in the morning from using the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, the intended venue of the rally.
The police barricaded the venue of the protest with over 20 police vans and chased away the protesters as they milled around.
After an unsuccessful attempt to use the venue, the protesters gathered outside the park in Ojota where they addressed the press.
The Director of Media of the YWC, Mr Maxwell Adeleye, told journalists that any attempt by the federal government to frustrate the Amotekun initiative would fail “as the idea has come to stay.”
He stressed that the Yoruba people desired Amotekun to end kidnapping, banditry and other forms of insecurity in the region.
According to him, “Amotekun is not against any tribe or race. The network will protect the Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, Urhobo, Igede and everyone living and working in Yorubaland.”
Also at the Lagos Island, protesters supporting Amotekun were seen in groups around the Lagos High Court, Igbosere; the Lagos division of the Court of Appeal and the Igbosere chief magistrate court, all on Lagos Island. They were, however, prevented from staging any protest or rally by the police who stationed their vehicles at various points near the courts to quickly checkmate the protesters.