Organizers Of Ondo Protest Insist No Police Permit Required

By Ayodele Oni

Organizers of last Saturday’s protest in Ondo State have declared that they do not need police permit for the action.

Reacting to claim by the state police command which labelled some of them as suspected Cultists, the organizers pointed out that “Police Permit is dead under our law and any arrest or detention made pursuant to failure to obtain or comply with police permit or directive is illegal and unconstitutional.

“The letter addressed to the Commissioner of Police on the 9th of August, 2024, merely informed the Nigeria Police Force of the protest and requested police presence as a gesture of guarantee of the peaceful nature of the protest.”

The letter, signed on behalf of the organizers, Tope Temokun stated that “The issue of venue was not to take directives or orders from police on where the protesters must gather but to extend hand of transparency to the police for both the protesters and the police to know the take off point.

“By section 1(1), Public Order Act, it is the government of each state that is empowered ‘to direct and conduct all assemblies, meetings and processions of the public roads or places of public resort of the state and prescribe the route by which and the time at which any processor may pass.’

“The concept of police permit has been declared to be in violation of section 40 of the constitution in the case of ANPP V. IGP, a case instituted over the violent disruption of the solidarity rally held in Kano on September 22, 2003 which allegedly led to the death of  Dr. Chuba Okadigbo.

“Police Permit is dead under our law and any arrest or detention made pursuant to failure to obtain or comply with police permit or directive is illegal and unconstitutional.”

They demanded for immediate release of those arrested during the protest insisting that nothing incriminating was found with them.

“We hereby demand the immediate and unconditional release of all seven members of the Take It Back Movement who are currently being unlawfully detained by the Ondo State Police Command.”