Falana Demands Arrest of Police for Pensioners' Rally Disruption

Senior lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has called for the arrest and prosecution of police personnel who allegedly disrupted a peaceful rally by pensioners at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State. In a statement titled “IGP MUST ARREST AND PROSECUTE THE POLICE PERSONNEL WHO VIOLENTLY DISRUPTED THE PEACEFUL RALLY OF PENSIONERS,” Falana asserted that the disruption violated the protesters' constitutional rights to assemble and protest against government policies.

He referenced a Court of Appeal judgment in Inspector General of Police v All Nigerian People Party (2008) that annulled police permits for rallies in Nigeria, emphasizing that such gatherings are a recognized form of expression. Falana noted that the violent disruption of the pensioners' rally was a breach of section 83(4) of the Nigeria Police Force Establishment Act 2020, which mandates police to provide security for such events.

He urged the Inspector-General of Police to take action against the officers involved, stating they inflicted intentional physical injury on the protesters without legal justification.