Tuesday March 22nd,
2016 on the very hour of 6:30am, which was generally agreed in the last meeting
of 20th March, 2016 (Sunday) that the people should
be on ground by
7:00am, residents, the okada riders from the affiliate of NURTW: MOALS, ANCOWA
and AOMORAN including activists, socialists fighters from DSM, AICOM, JUSTICE
GROUP etc. were already on ground to give leadership in terms of methods and
strategy to the protest under the broad platform of CAPBEKIC (Campaign Against
Police Brutality, Extortion and Killing of Innocent Citizens) to campaign
against the unlawful harassment, extortion and killing of people by the
Nigerian police.
The protest materials like placards,
mega phone, banners among others were being arranged to commence the protest.
In some of the placards fly higher in hands by okada riders, residents and
comrades participating in the struggle before the kickoff hour; had the
inscription of (i) okada, keke and danfo
don become ATM machine fo police. (ii) Stop
the incessant killing of innocent citizens. (iii) FG must compensate the family of Saturday’s Hanson, Charles Okafor. (iv) Minimum wage of #52, 500 should be paid to
the police and all workers. (v) Fight
for a police democratic workers union.
While this was going on with
solidarity songs been chanted by peaceful protesters between the hours of
7:00am to 8:00am in the kickoff point in the community where the protest was to
roll on. There was sensitization and orientation about the method and strategy
as guide for the protest to be successful was well articulated by comrade Dagga
(a member of DSM) who addresses the people in the community, okada riders and
other unions and organizations that formed the coalition. That the importance
of this was to register our plight against the long exercise of the Ajeromi
police in extortion, brutality, killing among others. Also, general appeal was
made by leaders of CAPBEKIC that that participating okada riders in this
struggle shouldn’t disrupt or forcefully mobilize any riders to join the
protest.
Before the kickoff, the
comrade with the mega phone (Dagga) added as an inspiration to the okada riders
and congratulated them for joining the peaceful protest and despite the fact that
the police have tried to demoralize members through their union leaders. Even
to the extent of using the tactics of “divide and rule” to psychologically
influence the struggle through the feudal lords (Seriki, Bale), still they were
able to mobilize themselves to come for the protest of today. This, the comrade
said is significant in history because it confirmed the potential of them, the
okada riders; enlisting the incisive fact of the community leaders, especially
the Hausa community made up of unemployed youth been in sighted not to participate
in the peaceful protest; were an attempt made by these feudal lords.
But in congratulating the
potential effort of this protesters coming out this morning even with the
attempt by the police to stop the protest, the riders were also admonished that
everybody participating in the protest should be peaceful and cooperate with members
of the leadership as we head towards different destination where we are going
to summit our protest letter which were as follows : HOUSE OF THE DECEASED
FAMILY, IFELODUN LOCAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AREA (LCDA), AJEROMI LOCAL
GOVERNMENT AREA (AJIF) AND AREA B POLICE COMMAND, APAPA: supervising all the
police unit of Ajeromi, Layeni, Pako, Tolu, Mosafejo-Amukoko police stations.
At about exactly 8:30am the
protest began and leaders of CAPEKIC, okada riders, members of the community
moved en mass to the house of
SATURDAY HANSON to console, prayed and delivered the petition letter to the
family. When the protesters arrived led by leaders of CAPEKIC at the house of
SATURDAY HANSON. Residents of the community who one way or the other had suffered
indifferently in the hands of police on harassment, extortion and illegal
raiding, came out in their numbers to sympathize with the decease family and
showed solidarity with the struggle on the need why the protest to put an end
to killing of people by Nigerian police should go to exposed the atrocities
committed.
Immediately the news got to the
widow (Mrs. Hanson with five children) in her room where she resides 17 Fatokun
via Ogbokwankwo, Ajegunle, she came wiping and look in the banner that carried
her husband’s picture and those killed by the Nigeria police men, the tears in
her eyes dropped like rainfall. It was at this point that some leaders of
CAPEKIC had to take her in to console her and she later came out to listen to
the address made by comrade Dagga, and prayer was led by Mr. Israel Eke .
Immediately, these sharp statement were made on why the police were responsible
for the killing of Saturday Hanson, a copy of the OPEN PETITON LETTER was
handed over to Mrs. Hanson who received it with pool of tears in her eyes.
PROTEST ROUTE:
(I)
IFELODUN LOCAL COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT AREA
(LCDA)
With the embolden movement of the
peaceful protest of protesters, moving from the populated dense street with
placards, chanting solidarity songs while the banners were boldly displayed.
The solidarity songs became an attraction including the banner to residents in
the communities who were asking questions about what was going on , concerning the protest as protesters were
marching down to the LCDA government to register their plight over chronic
killing of innocent citizens and the government negligence not doing anything
to resolve this problem of police brutality and extortion.
Marching through the streets in
Mosafejo-Amukoko areas, some of the printed and electronic press representatives
like Commoners, the SUN and Guardian newspapers; including Galaxy and Lagos
television respectively were marching with the protesters to the different
destination in the protest. Youth, activists who marched together from the
kickoff point of the protest, went to the onlookers to explain the significant
of the protest to them and the need in their respective communities why they
shouldn’t hesitate not to join and also begin to mobilize themselves peacefully
against police brutality and illicit raiding. Members of DSM and her sympathizers
who were in the protest took it upon themselves to thoroughly canvass people to
buy the new publication of the SD (April/May); making people to see the reason
why this publication represent their interest as working oppressed people.
At the LCDA Secretariat, leaders
of CAPEKIC addresses the protesters and the entire resident in that community
on what this struggle significantly mean to the working mass of Ajegunle.
Comrade Hassan Taiwo (a member of ERC) after a brief introduction done by
Moshood Oshunferuwa (Sec. of CAPEKIC); gave some speech on why the killing of
Saturday Hanson was barbaric by the Ajeromi police men on the irrational
account of them embarking on illegal raiding.
In the burning fire of his statement
in front gate of LCDA secretariat with the peaceful protesters against
the forceful extortion on them. He rolled a perspective as brimstone that the
government should not shift side never to play proactive role in attaining to
the need of decease family. The point also was made as some journalists and
reporters made effort to covered the protest, that the Minimum Wage of #52, 500
should be an agenda in the government policy, not also glance the fact of provision
of social welfare of the police rank and file workers, which has been responsible
to the incessant killing of people then and now.
Immediately after the speech,
some leaders of CAPEKIC representatives, journalists and reporters led by DSM
members went inside the LCDA Secretariat to deliver the PETITION LETTER to the
representative of the Executive Secretary (ES) that states all the demands of
CAPEKIC and why residents, okada riders and the oppressed mass are opposed and
dissatisfy with illegal extortion and raiding of the police, and government
negligence on this matter even when council levy has been paid for the day.
(II)
AT THE AJEROMI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
(AJIF)
At the Ajeromi local government a
lot of okada riders joined in the protest as they trouped into the council in
their numbers with their bikes packed outside as directed by the leaders of
CAPEKIC, enjoining all into the chanted solidarity songs, which has been a lead
to the peaceful protest organized and coordinated by leaders of different
organizations making up the coalition of CAPEKIC.
Addressing the masses, comrade
Dagga narrated how SATURDAY HANSON was killed, the extortion going on in the
community, and also made an appeal to the representative of the Executive
Secretary (ES) and other team along with him to both financially and materially
assist the widow with five children left behind by SATURDAY HANSON, who was cold
bloodedly murdered by the Ajeromi police men.
After much has
been said the PETITION LETTER was well received by Mr. MUDASHIRU AFOLAYAN who represented
the Ajeromi Executive Secretary (ES). In his response after receiving the
PETITION LETTER, Mr. MUDASHIRU AFOLAYAN said the Executive Secretary was away
on an official assignment and promised to deliver the petition to him and
advised that the peaceful way and manner we came should be maintained to our
final destination. Intermittently, some other media houses like Vanguard
newspaper and Super Screen television invited to covered the 22nd
March, 2016 protest also were present to report the story and some okada riders were interviewed about their experience on this issue.
(III)
THE
MARCHED TO AREA B POLICE COMMAND, APAPA
As the struggle builds momentum
in the rank and file of the oppressed protesters alongside the solidarity songs
that continue to earn attraction as wave from the people in the community, more
of the okada riders at Boundary roundabout joined in the protest after much
addresses has been made by leaders of CAPEKIC, activists and socialist fighters
on this matter. Some of the okada riders lament their pathetic different
experience suffered terribly in the hands of the police at Boundary between the
hours of 7:00pm to 11:00pm (Monday to Friday) in Ajegunle. As the addresses
were going on members of DSM were busy
selling the SD in the busiest Boundary market.
After exhausting 20 minutes in
the square, the protesters were directed by some leaders of CAPEKIC to march
down to Area B police station which was the collective agreed end point of the
protest before the kickoff. At the Area
B police station, the gate was locked against the peaceful protesters, afraid
of any expectation. But the organized and coordinated movement of the
rally/protest never recorded any form of violence and anarchism in the whole 6
hours of the protest. It was all solidarity songs, displayed of banners and
placards bearing different slogans and demands against the harassment and
brutalization of innocent working class families.
For the 30 minutes spent at the
front gate of Area B police station, neither the Area Commander nor
representative came to address the okada riders, journalists, reporters waiting
to hear a statement from the authority. It was after much pressure from the
unrelenting fighters chanting an increment of the solidarity songs that some
representative of CAPEKIC were allowed to go in to dropped the letter without
the commander showing his face. However, after this has been done, leaders of
CAPEKIC addressed the okada riders on the forward for the struggle.
At the kickoff venue of the
protest a fighting fund of #1, 800:00 was raised among the okada riders to
support the struggle for continuity and a brief meeting was reached upon with a
collective resolution that on 26th March, 2016 (Saturday), a general
meeting shall be held to review the protest, lessons to be drawn and plan ahead
new method and strategy to sustain the struggle. And with the enormous effort
put in place by members of DSM, 40 copies of the SD was sold in the whole 6
hours of the protest against police brutality and extortion in the Ajegunle
ghetto community.
By
Tuned Yusuf and Fidel Davynovich (the freelance report)
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