Committee for the Protection of People’s Mandate (CPPM), a civil society organisation, has petitioned The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), South-West zone over the alleged violations of the economic and fundamental rights of Lagosians by the Lagos State Police Command under Commissioner of Police Kayode Aderanti.

CPPM is set up with primary focus on entrenching democratic values and constitutionalism into the body polity of the Nigerian state through legitimate and lawful means,

In a letter signed by its executive chairman, Nelson Ekujumi and addressed to The National Human Rights Commission, South-West Zone, the group said the violation had led to the termination of multi-million naira contracts, which would have been an economic gain to Lagos state in particular and Nigeria in general.

“On Monday January 5, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. C. K. Aderanti, at a press briefing in his office, gave a blanket order to political parties and groups to paste posters on highways and streets of Lagos State in contravention of the laws of Lagos State which they are constitutionally empowered to enforce.

“Mr. Aderanti went further to warn LASAA and its personnel to desist from performing its statutory duties, failure of which he threatened that he has directed all Area commanders and Divisional Police Officers to arrest any person, who attempts to remove any billboard or poster which violates the laws of the state. This is an act of gross irresponsibility and impunity by a senior officer of the Nigeria Police, which is unacceptable and must be condemned,” Ekujumi said.

Continuing, he noted, “From information available to us, as a result of this act of lawlessness and impunity engineered by the Nigeria police, two advertisers in the outdoor sector have terminated multi million naira contracts with outdoor agencies registered by LASAA to operate in Lagos State.

“We learnt that the amount involved is about 350 million naira and the consequence of this is borne by the economy of Lagos state in particular and Nigeria in general. This is a violation of the economic rights of Lagosians which must be addressed.”

“We are worried by the unregulated, indiscriminate, lawless, environmental degradation, nuisance, threat to public safety and order pasting of posters by political parties and groups in contravention of the laws of Lagos State.

“We are very much aware that the Lagos State government established the Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA) under the laws of the state within the jurisdiction of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We are quite aware that the Nigeria Police is a creation of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to maintain public peace and order through enforcement of the law.”

Ekujumi, therefore, demanded the following: “The immediate investigation of this violations of the fundamental and economic rights of Lagosians; immediate investigation of this threat to public peace and order by this act of impunity being engineered by the Nigeria Police, Lagos State Command; tendering of public apology to the government and people of Lagos State for this infraction of the law; payment of monetary compensation to LASAA and the outdoor agencies advertisers, who have suffered economic loss; payment of monetary compensation to staff of LASAA, who have been unjustly denied of their fundamental rights through unlawful arrest and detention by the Nigeria Police, Lagos State Command and the tendering of unreserved apology to the management and staff of LASAA for the assault on their integrity and right to perform their statutory functions.”

•Photo shows Aderanti.

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