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Many fans of the late Afrobeat singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, who trooped out on Thursday, September 21, 2023, for the candlelight procession in memory of the singer were allegedly dispersed with tear gas.
The candlelight procession was held at Muri Okunola park in Victoria Island around 8 pm.
But after the procession ended, sympathisers who proceeded to the Lekki tollgate were dispersed with teargas around 11 pm.
In a video shared on Twitter, a popular skit maker, Oluwadolaz, claimed, “We have been dispersed with teargas…”
Another video showed one of the sympathisers being helped to safety by fellow sympathisers with his right leg covered in blood. The injured sympathiser was allegedly shot at by the police.
However, many Nigerians have questioned why the sympathisers converged at the Lekki tollgate, the site of the October 20, 2020, #EndSARS, where soldiers shut peaceful protesters.
Reacting to the issue, a popular On-Air Personality, Do2dtun in a post on his X handle confirmed that the procession ended at 8 pm.
Wondering why the sympathisers moved to the #EndSARS site, Do2dtun, who anchored the tribute concert held in honour of Mohbad at Muri Okunola park said the event was a candlelight procession, not a protest.
“Honesty over Honesty Nigerians do not listen. WE DO THE MOST. This procession ended at Muri Okunola Park over 3 hours ago. We ended and all left. Some still went to converge at the Lekki toll gate. It is not a protest. It is a CANDLELIGHT PROCESSION,” he said.
In another post, the OAP while blaming the police for allegedly firing tear gas at the sympathisers said the sympathisers too should have applied common sense because the procession could have been hijacked and turned into something else.
"It’s not a right for the police to do that but people hijack these things & turn it to something else. Muri okunola was approved & it was a peaceful candle procession. it’s just common sense. The people that went home, are they stupid? Apply this thing sometimes. Na Lagos we dey," he said.
Commenting on the matter, the Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi resisted the urge to describe the procession as a protest.
“I am not against candlelight procession, I don’t want to call it a protest, I call it a procession, even police can do a procession to honour somebody. It is to honour the dead and pray for his soul,” he said.
The candlelight procession was organised by the management of the late singer.