By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
As officers and men of the Nigera Police Force continued their clampdown on protesters at the Lekki tollgate plaza on Saturday, many groups are calling for the immediate release of those arrested.
One of such groups, the National Consultative Front (NCF), on Saturday called for the immediate release of the protesters.
Some lawyers in Eti-Osa had earlier made the same demand.
No fewer than 15 protesters were arrested and taken to Adeniji police station in Lagos.
The NCF said it was the right of the people to engage in peaceful protest hence they should be released.
The statement issued by one of its chieftains, Mr. Wale Okunniyi, reads: “The NCFront of the Leaders of Conscience in Nigeria, demands restraint and decorum from Nigeria’s security agents, especially the Police as peaceful protest is a constitutional right of every Nigerian citizen. It will be disastrous to turn this peaceful assembly of the Nigerian youths to another riot.
“The NCFront therefore demands the immediate release of all those arrested and being currently detained by the Police.”
Another group, the Youth Rights Campaign, also called for the release of all protesters that were arrested at the tollgate.
In a statement, which was made available to TheNiche, the group demanded the immediate and unconditional release of one of its members, Moshood Oshufunrewa, and other activists arrested at the tollgate.
“We affirm that peaceful protest is a right which cannot be undermined or abridged under any pretext. The actions of the Police today presents an escalation of the developing civilian capitalist dictatorship which the APC regime is slowly but surely morphing into,” the group said.