A Channels Television journalist, Olu Phillips has said that policemen harassed journalists at the Lekki toll gate on the orders of the Managing Director of Lekki Concession Company (LCC), Yomi Omomuwasan.
The journalist stated this in a broadcast monitored by this reporter and shared by Channels TV on Twitter.
Channels TV Correspondent (Olu Philips) harassed while giving a live update at Lekki Toll Gate pic.twitter.com/qTbjfbxFro
— Channels Television (@channelstv) April 1, 2022
LCC had announced in March that it would reopen operations at the Admiralty Junction and Lekki-Ikoyi Link bridge on April 1 while toll collection would commence two weeks later.
Recall that toll collection stopped at the toll gates in the aftermath of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
However, many Nigerians – including celebrities Falz and Mr Macaroni and activist Rinu Oduala – kicked against recommencing toll collection at the toll gates in memory of #EndSARS victims.
Read Also: Nigerians mourn popular actor Dejo Tunfulu
The Herald gathered that policemen were drafted to the toll gates to forestall breakdown of law and order.
In his report, Phillips said that the “overzealous” policemen harassed journalists covering the commencement of activities at the Admiralty Junction toll gate.
He said that the policemen acting on the orders of the LCC MD seized his cameras, microphone, glasses, and broadcast earpiece, although the microphone was later released.
Phillips said, “And this was happening right in front of the LCC MD who ordered that they should do that (seize equipment).
“We have him on record. We have him on film when he ordered that the policemen should harass us.”
According to him, the LCC MD maintained that the area around the toll gate belonged to the company and journalists were not allowed to film there.
He said that the policemen drag him to their car and detained him but released him after a while.
The journalist said that it took the intervention of some Good Samaritan motorists passing through the toll gate who parked their vehicles to ask why they were being harassed before the policemen stopped.
The LCC MD could not be reached for comments as at the time of filing this report.