The Police in Lagos has arrested six people for allegedly pasting the posters of the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, at night.
The Police spokesperson, CSP Chike Oti, said the action contravened the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency laws that forbade advertisers from pasting posters at “no other hour other than the daytime.”
He explained that the men also violated an agreement reached during a meeting between the state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, and political parties that nobody would destroy the campaign materials of others.
Oti noted that the suspects were arrested by operatives of the anti-crime unit around 2.30am on Sunday.
He said, “The anti-crime patrol team of the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja Division, around 2.30am on December 9, 2018, arrested six young men, namely, Olagokun Odunayo, Kool-Kloud Henry, Ugaju Joseph, Damilola Omidiji, Michael Kate and Banwo Olagokun, of Take It Back movement, tearing posters of other political parties and replacing them with that of the African Action Congress, contrary to the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency laws that forbid advertisers from pasting posters at no other hour than the daytime.
“Recall that an agreement was reached to the effect that no political party should undertake the defacing of campaign posters of other political parties or the destruction of their billboards, at a meeting at the Police Officers Mess, GRA, Ikeja, on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, tagged, ‘Security and stakeholders meeting,’ involving the INEC, chairmen of all political parties in the state and their flag bearers, chaired by the state Commissioner of Police, CP Edgal Imohimi.
“The following exhibits were recovered from the suspects: a poster bearing the picture of the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Mr. Sowore; brush, buckets containing gum and torn posters of other political parties.”
He added that the CP had directed that the suspects be charged to court on Monday for malicious damage and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, to serve as a deterrence to others.
