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The Umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, has said that the pro-Yoruba Nation rally scheduled to hold in Lagos State on Saturday will go on as planned.
The group, headed by a renowned historian and second republic member of the Senate, Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye, made this known in a statement on Friday.
The Lagos State Police Command had on Thursday warned no rally would be allowed in the state on Saturday.
“On no account will any actual or rumoured activity, including the planned mega rally, be allowed to lock down the state or hinder the normal daily activities of the good people of Lagos State,” the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, said at a media briefing held at the command’s headquarters in Ikeja.
But in the statement made available by the group’s spokesperson, Mr Maxwell Adeleye, the Yoruba self-determination group said it had written a letter to Odumosu, and copied the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, to assure them that the rally will be “peaceful, orderly and not hijacked by hoodlums as earlier insinuated by Police.”
The statement read in part: “Our rally scheduled to hold on Saturday will still hold without any fear or intimidation and we promise to be peaceful like we have always been.
“We have been peaceful, orderly and lawful at everywhere we have visited, therefore, we call on the Lagos State Police Command to ensure that the rally is not hijacked by hoodlums.
“We are happy that the Police already know that hoodlums are likely to hijack the rally. Now, we call on the police to ensure such does not happen like it didn’t happen in Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ogun States respectively where we’ve held our rallies.
“It is the duty of the Police to safeguard our peaceful demonstration and protect us. On our own part, we promise to cooperate with the police towards ensuring that the rally is peaceful and orderly.”