By Damilare Adeleye
Lawyers for the Rule of Law and Human Rights, who are rendering pro bono services to participants in the ongoing protests against hunger and misgovernance in Nigeria tagged: #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, have secured the release of 12 protesters from the Lagos State Police Command.
Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who is also part of the team announced the release on Friday evening in his official X (formerly Twitter) handle.
According to him, the release 12 protesters were arrested by the police at the Lekki Toll Gate and other parts of Lagos while exercising their constitutional rights of protest.
He identified the protesters as: “Labe Benedict, Nura Umar, Yaro Gazama, Joseph Jeremiah, Osinachi Udoeze, Ayodele Ajayi and Godwin Moloku.
Others are: “Adelokun Wasiu, Precious Alfred, Yahaya Mohammed, Otika Victor and Ndukwe Ogbonnaya.”
Effiong said that they were released from detention at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti.
He wrote: “Our team of pro bono lawyers under the auspices of Lawyers For Rule Of Law And Human Rights have just secured the release of 12 protesters who were arrested by the police at the Lekki Toll Gate and other parts of Lagos.
“Most of them were grabbed by thugs at the Toll Gate and handed over to the police.
“We met with the Commissioner of Police earlier today at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park and complained about the ongoing arbitrary arrest of protesters in Lagos.
“The CP then directed us to Panti where the protesters were detained and instructed the DCP, Panti to release them.
“The protesters were accordingly released to me and my colleagues.”
He, however, explained that efforts are being made to secure the release of other protesters detained in other States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, insisting that “history will vindicate the just”.