The Lagos State Police Command has explained why its officers used teargas to disperse the fans of the late rapper, Ilerioluwa Olademeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, who gathered at the Lekki tollgate on Thursday night for a candlelight procession. The police said the fans violated the agreement to end the procession at Muri Okunola Park in Victoria Island and caused traffic gridlock at the tollgate.
According to a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, on Friday, the police had approved Muri Okunola Park as the venue of the procession and provided security for the event, which was meant to pay tribute to Mohbad, who died in a car accident last week. The statement said the procession was supposed to end by 8 pm as agreed with the organizers, but some fans with ulterior motives converged at the Lekki tollgate after the event and obstructed vehicular movement.
Hundeyin said the police and the organizers tried to persuade the fans to leave the tollgate peacefully for hours, but they refused. He said the police also sent out messages on social media asking the fans to go home and clarifying that it was not a protest but a procession that had been successfully concluded. He said the fans defied both verbal and written appeals and blocked all lanes in and out of Lekki.
Hundeyin said the police had to resort to using teargas as a last option to disperse the crowd and prevent chaos and anarchy. He said no live ammunition was fired and no one was injured or killed. He said the use of teargas was in line with crowd management best practices and the police’s mandate to protect life and property, maintain law and order and prevent crimes.
He appealed for calm and assured the public that the investigation into Mohbad’s death was progressing well. He urged the public not to create unnecessary distractions and give the command space to conduct a thorough and timely investigation.
