By Destiny Day
Officials of the Lagos State Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) are set to confront the police for attempting to stop the body from embarking on another protest on Thursday over the Land Use Charge introduced recently by the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode -led government.
The NBA rally is scheduled for Thursday, March 29, the day President Muhammadu Buhari is slated to visit Lagos but the police will not take any of that and have advised the NBA to shelve the protest.
The police have therefore warned the lawyers body not to embark on a protest during President Buhari’s visit to the state.
Chairman, NBA Ikeja branch, Adesina Ogunlana, said at a media briefing on Wednesday that the association would embark on another round of protest on Thursday over the reviewed Lagos Land Use Charge.
Governor Ambode had earlier reduced the land use charge by 50 per cent, but the reduction did not go down well with the NBA which insisted the government returns to status quo.
Ogunlana said “The protest is far from being over as lawyers have declared their intention to embark on another round of streets protest tomorrow.”
However, a statement signed by Lagos police spokesman, Chike Oti, said “the Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, believes that the planned protest is the handiwork of mischief makers who are using the NBA as a launching pad to possibly compromise the security emplaced for the presidential visit.”
Police statement added: “It must be recalled that on the 12th of March 2018, the Lagos State Police Command availed the NBA Ikeja branch its security assets and escorted them to the Government House Alausa to protest the increase in the Land Use Charge. At Alausa they were addressed and afterwards escorted back to their base.
“It is baffling that the same NBA whose right to protest has never been denied to use the auspicious occasion of the President’s visit to protest and disrupt the occasion and by extension compromise the security of the President is to say the least most incomprehensible.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Lagos State Police Command will not tolerate any protest from the NBA or from any group or individual for that matter during the visit of Mr President whom Lagosians are ready to receive warmly.
“The NBA and any group wanting to protest at this time are warned to jettison the idea or face dire consequences which may include arrest and prosecution of participants.
“It is curious that of all the NBA branches in Lagos, it is only the Ikeja branch that has been using the option of protest and civil disobedience despite several options available to it thus lending credence to the intelligence report that the Chairman of the NBA is a pawn in the hands of some disgruntled politicians.
“Please be warned.”
