By Raji Rasak
Badagry (Lagos State) – The three conveners of the “Fix Lagos-Badagry Road” protest arrested during last Thursday’s demonstration over the deplorable condition of the expressway have regained freedom.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the trio – Mark Akande, Kazeem Olagunro and Ovi Kuponu – were released from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos, on Saturday.
NAN learnt that the protesters were set free following the intervention of some human rights lawyers.
The conveners, however, remained defiant, vowing that Badagry youths would shut down the international expressway if the contractors failed to return to site within 10 days.
“We give Lagos State and Federal Government 10 days to recall the contractors handling the Badagry-Lagos expressway back to site, otherwise we will shut down activities at the expressway.
“We will distrupt activities and block the road,” said Akande, who is also President, Society for Human Advancement and Creativity Organisation (SHACO).
They also condemned the police for arresting them while exercising their constitutional right to protest and vowed to seek legal redress.
“Just because we organised a peaceful protest, they handcuffed us, put us inside cell and forced us to eat where we are urinating.
“The cell is nothing to write home about,” said Kuponu, Publisher of DeVoice newspaper.
Recall that the police had arrested three conveners of the “Fix Badagry-Lagos Road” protest on Thursday and took them into custody.
Hundreds of Badagry youths had on Thursday protested the deplorable state of the Lagos – Badagry expressway at Mowo/Aradagun area.
The police, however, dismantled the protest and chased away the protesters.
NAN reports that Lagos State Government is responsible for the Iganmu-Okokomaiko section of the highway, while the Federal Road Maintenance Agency is handling Okokomaiko-Agbara axis of the road.
Also, the Federal Government on Oct. 24, 2018 awarded the reconstruction of the 46km Agbara-Seme section of Badagry Expressway to CGC Nigeria Limited at a sum of N63.2 billion.
The contractor had since abandoned the project.
(NAN)
