Soldiers on shooting spree in Lagos

A combined military team of the officers and men of the Nigerian Army and Nigeria Air Force, assisted on the side by regular policemen are on a shooting spree in the Ojota/Ketu axis of Lagos, in an attempt to disperse protesters who want to gain access to the Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Park.

The park, from Monday to Friday last week, was a beehive of activities as protesters gathered there to show their displeasure about the increase in the pump price of petrol from N65 to N141.

Though President Goodluck Jonathan this morning announced a reduction in price to N97, organized labour and a lot of Nigerians are still displeased with the new price and want the protest to continue.

As early as 5am, stern looking military personnel had taken over the Ojota/Ketu axi of Lagos, just like most parts of the state, turning back those who wanted to enter the park.

A military tank was strategically positioned under the bridge between Ketu and Ojota.

There were at close to 1,000 security personnel in the axis when The Eagle Online visited the place.

Some of the military personnel, under the command of a man in mufti, were chasing the protesters who gathered on the bridge at about 12.30pm.

In the process, an oncoming vehicle hit one of those running away from the military personnel.

A van of the Lagos State Ambulance Services took the injured away a few minutes later.

Security was generally tightened in Lagos today.

Soldiers took over from the police.

Most of those sighted on the road today are members of Operation MESA (Op MESA), the military arm of the Lagos State-funded Rapid Response Squad, which is directly under the control of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola.

On Ikorodu Road, a major axis for last week’s protest, close to 20 roadblocks mounted by the military personnel were counted by correspondents of The Eagle Online when they drove round Lagos today.

Also on the ever-busy Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, which has remained a shadow of its old self since the commencement of the strike, there are about five such roadblocks mounted by military personnel between Abule Egba and Under the Bridge Bus Stop.

Officers and men of Op MESA were also at Oshodi where they had taken over security from policemen.

Though the state was largely peaceful with people obeying the order of organized labour to stay indoors, a Lagosian described the observed peace as the peace of the grave yard.