The 40 peaceful protesters who were arraigned before a mobile court in the Yaba area of Lagos, by the police, yesterday, have been granted bail.
Magistrate Lateef Layeni, granted the protesters bail in the sum of N100,000 each, with sureties in like sum.
The protesters, including a popular Nigerian comedian, Debo Adebayo, popularly known as Mr. Macaroni, were charged to court by the Nigerian Police Force following their arrests at Lekki tollgate on Saturday morning.
Arraigned on three-count charges, the police said the protesters breached public peace and “caused unnecessary alarm in the public”.
The protesters were also arraigned for violating the COVID-19 regulations recently signed by Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, and Section 5 of the Quarantine Act Q2 Law.
In a statement by Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Lagos police spokesperson, he said the protesters “gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate plaza creating tension and behaving in such a manner that could cause breach of public peace without due regard for COVID-19 protocols major of which are use of nose masks and social distancing”.
“The command has, however, arraigned the suspects today to the mobile court at Panti, Yaba, accordingly but were, however, granted bail by the court,” Mr. Adejobi said in the statement.
Layeni also ordered the protesters to present certificates of COVID-19 tests before the next adjourned date.
The case was adjourned till March 2.
The protesters had gathered to protest the reopening of the tollgate, which was the venue where soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters on October 20, 2020.
