Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested five persons suspected to have participated in protests that rocked some parts of the state.

According to Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, the five persons were arrested in front of Gani Fawehinmi’s Park, Ojota and that they have been released.

He spoke during his situation assessment visit to the park, saying as of now, no suspect is being detained in connection with the protest.

The Police boss said everywhere he had visited was calm, stressing that reports from officers showed that everywhere was calm in Lagos.

Odumosu said the Police had nothing against protesters as long as they were peaceful in their conduct, stressing the only thing he requested from them was information about their protest, not permit order.

He said the information sent out by the protesters, through the social media, requesting residents to sit at home created panic in the state, stressing that through a press statement on Friday, the directive was countered.

The Police boss said his men were deployed to various areas noted to be black spots as early as 2 a.m. on Saturday, stressing that his directive to his men was that protesters have the right to do so peacefully.

“The only thing I need from protesters is notification of their protest and not to seek for permit, so that we can provide them with security. It is their constitutional right to protest. If Police are not involved, hoodlums may hijack the protest.

“I also advised the protesters to write to the state government to make use of parks for their protest, that way, they will not block the major roads and cause heavy traffic gridlock.

“While they have the right to protest, other road users have right of free movement on the road.

“The Police gun shots this morning at Ojota was as a result of some people blocking the roads leading in and out of Lagos at Ojota. I have the recorded video. The protesters may have good intention, but criminally minded people blocked the road to commit crimes.

“I quickly ordered my men to appeal to the protesters to leave the road and use minimum force to liberate the road so that those going out of Lagos or coming in will not be held up in traffic, particularly this time where we have traffic robbery,” he said.

Odumosu also appreciated the National Association of Nigeria Students, who withdrew from the protest because of intelligence report they got indicating that some hoodlums were planning to hijack the protest.

Some protesters later met with the commissioner at the park, where he advised them against violent protest.

CP Odumosu, in his bid to forestall any act of lawlessness, had deployed adequate personnel to strategic places and arranged for Show of Force across the state as he personally moved round the state to assess the general security of the state, visited Lagos Island, Lekki Toll Gate, Surulere, Alausa and Ojota where he addressed the protesters on the need to be peaceful and avoid depriving other Nigerians of their human rights to free movement and doing their businesses; noting that blocking the roads will only cause more harms to other innocent Nigerians and threaten the security of Lagos State.

The Police boss engaged the protesters in a tete-a-tete for more than one hour at Ojota Lagos State assuring them of the police’s support and responsibility to provide security for them and other Nigerians.

He also reaffirmed that the police will never deprive them of their rights to freedom of speech, protest and peaceful rally, but they were however urged to always notify the police of any intending protest or rally in order to plan with them so that such protest would not be hijacked by miscreants.

The Commissioner of Police therefore reiterated the command’s commitment to provide adequate security for all and sundry in Lagos State, sustain the core values of policing and tenets of democracy especially respect for fundamental human rights of citizens in Lagos State.