Lagos residents condemn military presence

Many Lagos residents have condemned the deployment of military officers by the Federal Government to curb protests that greeted the removal of fuel subsidy in the country, which saw a dramatic increase in the pump price of petrol in all filling stations in the country from N65 to N141.Places such as the Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota, which was the spot where a record mammoth crowd of protesters gathered last week, as well as Falomo, were, on Monday, taken over by combat ready military officers, who also came in their armour vehicles.The residents of these places, who were perhaps getting ready to commence another round of protests, were stunned when they woke up only to discover that places that were a beehive of rallies, protests and demonstrations against increase in petrol price throughout last week had become a shadow of their former selves, a situation that further enraged many residents.While speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on this development, Mrs Comfort Adaeze, a resident of Ojota, insisted that what the government had done was tantamount to an act of cowardice, saying military officers were only meant to be deployed in very serious and tense situations.'The presence of these military officers would further make Nigerians to be more distraught towards the government. The protests held in this place (the Fawehimi park) last week, was largely peaceful. Why therefore, would the government descend so low to the extent of bringing in soldiers'' queried Mrs Adaeze, adding that, 'I don't think the government would want to create a state full of fear and intimidation.'Ademola Gbenga, another resident who condemned the development, said, 'this is a government that found it extremely difficult to deploy military personnel to deal with Boko Haram members in spite of the fact that the group has owned up to a series of killings in the country. 'Yet, the government has found it easy to attempt to use the military to stifle the voice of the people; it won't work,' Gbenga posited.
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