Innocent BenjaminFresh waves of protests have hit the very sensitive site of Lekki Toll-gate, Lagos, where the famous anti-police protests broke out and escalated in October 2020.
On Saturday morning, several reports surfaced online earmarking signs of a fresh outbreak of protests and Nigerians on micro-blogging media, Twitter, have fingered an instigating factor.
Before dawn, armed policemen could be seen in a footage shared by Fisayo Soyombo, with the journalist commenting in the clip, “You can see they are packed every where.”
VIDEO: What #Lekkitollgate area currently looks like pic.twitter.com/tZ5meTbFQj
— ‘Fisayo Soyombo (@fisayosoyombo) February 12, 2021
The protest which had been premeditated was dubbed Occupy Lekki Toll Gate, with the proposed reopening of the toll billed as the provocative factor but that has been proven otherwise.
DJ Switch, a Nigerian public figure who became popular after streaming the live events of the October 20 shootings and was reportedly shot herself in the process, endorsed the fresh protests on her official Twitter page, citing the ban of crypto as a major motivation.
All the stunts of NIN, ban crypto, social media debate etc… Just so they can completely keep us in chains. Investing their time in mundane things instead of working to make life better! This generation is where your oppression will stop!#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria
— Dj Switch (@dj_switchaholic) February 13, 2021
Mitrobe reported earlier in the week that the Central Bank Of Nigeria had effectively discontinued any form of business association between licensed financial institutions, which includes bank, and crypto exchanges.
Although this did not criminalise, illegalise or outrightly ban the venture, it restricted any form of transaction to P2P, eliminating the popular third-parties.
The edict turned out ill-timed as Nigerians were still reeling and seething from other supposedly hawkish laws meted out including the short-noticed NIN registration.
The subsequent regulation against Crypto proved the final nail in the coffin in a relationship between government and citizen that has turned frosty and in a state of cold war over an extensive period of time.
Several other social media influencers also shared an unanimous agreement with DJ Switch, citing the ban on crypto as a step too far.
Ban Twitter NG, Regulate Social Media, Ban Crypto.. this is not what we signed in for! Good news is that you can’t stop us from raising our voice because the yawa wey we see, no be the security wey you promise. #EndBadGoveranceInNigeria #EndSARS RETWEET AGGRESSIVELY pic.twitter.com/VB0Omj5Xi5
— ΛMΛ KIПG ♔ (@DremArish) February 13, 2021
How can you shutdown Crypto in Nigeria and open the bloody Toll Gate? #EndSARS
— MONITORING_SPIRIT (@Sonjoe_Kutuh) February 13, 2021
Ban Twitter NG, regulate social media, ban Crypto, NIN… etc, all these efforts just to keep us in chains.
Why not channel that energy into making Nigeria better so that everyone will be happy? #Lekkitollgate #EndSARS
— K A Y ???? (@Kaylechi_) February 13, 2021
The ban could however be rescinded, as the Nigerian Senate summoned CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Thursday, February, 11, for questioning.
James steller
