Following the decision of the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni against the planned nationwide protest scheduled for February 6th, 2017, lawyer and human rights activist, Festus Keyamo has reacted to the ban placed on the protest by the Police.
Festus Keyamo while speaking to Linda Ikeji Blog noted that it is part of the citizen’s right to hold a protest adding that the police can not decide to ban the protest on grounds that it gathered intelligence that some thugs are planning to hijack the protest.
Festus Keyamo noted that violence cannot be predicted of the protest until it is carried out.
He said: “The police cannot ban protest. They can only ban violent activities but they cannot ban protest and you cannot know whether a protest would be violent unless violence begins.
“When the violence begins they can now disperse them with minimum force; tear gas, in Europe they use hot water and few things like that. You only use what they call minimum force to disperse them when it breaks out, but you cannot predict whether a protest will break down.
“A protest permit does not guarantee that a protest will not break down. Even when the police are guarding and when the police are there present, it can break down. So generally speaking, every Nigerian has the right to protest.”