The police in Lagos on Wednesday dispersed protesters against the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) who converged on Ojuelegba.
Nigerian youths under the umbrella of Joint Action Front (JAF) took to the streets to demand a reversal of the hike in fuel price and electricity tariff.
But their agitation met a brick wall as armed security operatives, acting on directives, dispersed the crowd.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Buhari’s regime hiked petrol price in 2016 from N86.50 to N145 now hiked again to N162; Reject hike in electricity tariff now; Capitalist policies of privatisation and deregulation create mass suffering,” they said the increments were anti-people.
They urged other Nigerians to join the struggle to resist mass suffering and the “end puppet regime of IMF and World Bank.”
Initial reports claimed there was a clash between protesters and the security operatives with some of them arrested.
But the police denied this, insisting the protesters were dispersed peacefully.
According to a police spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, none of the protesters was arrested and there was no use of force.
“None was arrested. The protesters were talked to and dispersed peaceably. They were not attacked nor harassed. We always urge protesters to inform the police in order to provide adequate security for them any time they want to protest.
“They have their rights to protest but such must be guided and not be hijacked by hoodlums to foment troubles or extort innocent Lagosians,” he said.
