Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday surrounded the vicinity of Afrika Shrine, where a meeting on #EndSARS protests was expected to hold today, November 17.
One of the sons of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Seun Kuti, had earlier sent out flyers announcing a meeting on the lessons from #EndSARS protests. Many activists and #EndSARS campaigners had indicated an interest in attending the meeting before the convener of the meeting, Seun Anikulapo Kuti, said the meeting had been suspended.
The Lagos State Police Command warned that the meeting posed a security threat saying “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 the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force,”
It was learnt that policemen were strategically placed on streets leading to the Afrika Shrine, a popular relaxation spot in the Ikeja area of Lagos State. Some policemen were also seen at the entrance of the venue of the botched meeting.
Seun said in a series of tweets, “Yesterday, the government called my eldest sister, Yeni Anikalpo Kuti, and threatened to close the shrine if I hold my event there tomorrow and also sent a letter to back it up. I respect my families’ decision not to hold the event as 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.”
