₦airaland Forum

Also yesterday, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force surrounded the vicinity of Afrika Shrine, where a meeting on #EndSARS protests was expected to hold.

It was learned that Seun, one of the sons of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, had earlier sent out flyers announcing a meeting on the lessons of #EndSARS protests.

Vanguard gathered that policemen were strategically placed on streets leading to Afrika Shrine , a popular spot in the Ikeja area of Lagos State.

Some policemen were also seen at the entrance of the venue of the botched meeting.

Many activists and #EndSARS campaigners had indicated interest to attend the meeting before the convener, Seun Anikulapo Kuti, said the meeting had been suspended.

Seun said in a series of tweets: “Yesterday, (Monday) the government called my eldest sister, Yeni Anikalpo Kuti, and threatened to close the shrine if I hold my event there tomorrow (yesterday) and also sent a letter to back it up.

“I respect my families’ decision not to hold the event as it is but I will still go ahead with all the other organisations to launch THE MOVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE tomorrow and start our political resistance to the tyranny of this oppressive regime.

“This is a meeting, just a meeting of organisations and they are basically banning the right of association. Why are they afraid of the people organising? What is democratic about this act? The last time we tried to launch the government quickly called curfew and this time they have used threat but you can’t stop the will of the people.”

Lagos State Police Command which had earlier warned that the meeting posed a security threat, had said in a letter addressed to Seun: “You are hereby warned to suspend such gathering as any infraction that may emerge from this gathering will be tagged a deliberate action to sabotage the transition and restoration of the peace in Lagos State by Lagos State government and the Nigeria Police Force.’’

BBC Hausa reports that twelve police officers (all ASPs) have been abducted by bandits. The wife of one of the officers told the BBC that her husband had phoned and instructed her to sell his house to raise ransom. She said she knows the families of eight other abducted officers.

That families of the officers are working to raise 800k each to rescue them. When the BBC contacted the Borno Police Command, from where the officers were deployed, they directed the BBC to the Katsina or Zamfara Commands. Both claimed to have no knowledge of the incident.

That officers were abducted together speaks volumes on the extremely scary situation developing in the northwest. If police officers in police convoy could be abducted, what more of ordinary Nigerians with no arms, training or equipment? It’s clear that we are playing with fire.