Lagos lawyers hold protest despite police warning

Despite a police order to shelve the protest, lawyers of the
Ikeja chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association on Thursday marched
in Lagos against the new land use charge introduced by the state
government.

The protest held less than 24 hours after a police siege at the
lawyers’ secretariat in Lagos ostensibly to arrest key officials of
the association.

Joining the Ikeja NBA at the march were the Trade Union
Congress, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Joint Action
Front, among other civil society groups.

The protest was staged in different parts of Lagos including the
Tejuosho market in Yaba; Ojuelegba; Ayilara and Itire road; Agege
market; and the Pen Cinema roundabout.

Addressing the crowd, Adeshina Ogunlana, the chairman of the
Ikeja NBA, reiterated his earlier position that Lagosians should
ignore any land use charge notice served them by the state
government.

“Do not pay these taxes. Lagos belongs to the people and not
Ambode. He wants to use your head to build a mega city,” Mr.
Ogunlana said.

“Our protest is a continuation of the sensitisation of the
people not to pay Ambode’s toxic tax. They think they can do
anything and get away with it but we are opposing and we call on
well-meaning Lagosians to oppose it and we are sure the tax will
not hold in Lagos.

Mr. Ogunlana said those in government in Lagos are enemies of
the people, noting out that they had forgotten that “the same
people they are trying to kill voted them into office.”

“When they were asking for our votes, they promised us change,
they promised cheap houses, cheap transportation. But today, they
are sucking our blood.

“Lagosians, don’t be deceived, shine your eyes, Land Use Charge
would lead to inflation, increase in rent, increase in the cost of
transportation, increase in the cost of food.”

Over the past weeks, the lawyers’ body had mobilised civil
society organisations to protest against the “obnoxious” taxes by
the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode government.

On Wednesday, the lawyers announced they would hold another
round of protests against the law on Thursday, a day President
Muhammadu Buhari was billed to begin a two-day official visit in
the state.

Hours later, dozens of armed police officers stormed the
lawyers’ secretariat seeking to stop the protest, with the Lagos
State police chief accusing Mr. Ogunlana of planning to instigate
chaos during the president’s visit.

At the protest on Thursday, Mr. Ogunlana said, “We have dared
the commissioner of police in Lagos, Imohimi Edgar, who said
anybody that comes out to exercise their fundamental rights will be
dealt with. We have come out and people have accepted us without
their police protection. This is a democracy.”

Despite a police order to shelve the protest, lawyers of the
Ikeja chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association on Thursday marched
in Lagos against the new land use charge introduced by the state
government.

The protest held less than 24 hours after a police siege at the
lawyers’ secretariat in Lagos ostensibly to arrest key officials of
the association.

Joining the Ikeja NBA at the march were the Trade Union
Congress, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Joint Action
Front, among other civil society groups.

The protest was staged in different parts of Lagos including the
Tejuosho market in Yaba; Ojuelegba; Ayilara and Itire road; Agege
market; and the Pen Cinema roundabout.

Addressing the crowd, Adeshina Ogunlana, the chairman of the
Ikeja NBA, reiterated his earlier position that Lagosians should
ignore any land use charge notice served them by the state
government.

“Do not pay these taxes. Lagos belongs to the people and not
Ambode. He wants to use your head to build a mega city,” Mr.
Ogunlana said.

“Our protest is a continuation of the sensitisation of the
people not to pay Ambode’s toxic tax. They think they can do
anything and get away with it but we are opposing and we call on
well-meaning Lagosians to oppose it and we are sure the tax will
not hold in Lagos.

Mr. Ogunlana said those in government in Lagos are enemies of
the people, noting out that they had forgotten that “the same
people they are trying to kill voted them into office.”

“When they were asking for our votes, they promised us change,
they promised cheap houses, cheap transportation. But today, they
are sucking our blood.

“Lagosians, don’t be deceived, shine your eyes, Land Use Charge
would lead to inflation, increase in rent, increase in the cost of
transportation, increase in the cost of food.”

Over the past weeks, the lawyers’ body had mobilised civil
society organisations to protest against the “obnoxious” taxes by
the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode government.

On Wednesday, the lawyers announced they would hold another
round of protests against the law on Thursday, a day President
Muhammadu Buhari was billed to begin a two-day official visit in
the state.

Hours later, dozens of armed police officers stormed the
lawyers’ secretariat seeking to stop the protest, with the Lagos
State police chief accusing Mr. Ogunlana of planning to instigate
chaos during the president’s visit.

At the protest on Thursday, Mr. Ogunlana said, “We have dared
the commissioner of police in Lagos, Imohimi Edgar, who said
anybody that comes out to exercise their fundamental rights will be
dealt with. We have come out and people have accepted us without
their police protection. This is a democracy.”