Hakeem Odumosu, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, on Saturday asked officers of the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) who were at Freedom Park, Ojota, venue of the Lagos leg of the June 12 protests, to leave the protesters to vent their grievances in peace.

Odumosu told them to stay on both sides of the protesters.

Up to 50 fully armed Rapid Response Squad (RRS) officers of the Lagos State Government had stormed Ojota in a show of force, arriving in their bulletproof vests, teargas canisters, drones, armour tanks and over 20 vehicles.

When a brief scuffle took place between protesters and ‘area boys’, the RRS officers stepped in and said protests could hold as long as they were peaceful.

The presence of the RRS officers who have built a reputation for being the ‘good guys’ in Lagos among police officers was to calm the situation. Earlier in the day, the police had fired shots and teargas at protesters.

When the RRS team leader (with canisters) arrived, he gave a thumbs-up to reporters before he addressed journalists. He said anyone could protest peacefully and that no one, including street curchins, had the right to stop protests.