Lagos protest turns ugly

2004-05-03 13:23

Lagos - Riot police fired teargas at opposition protesters in a bid to break up a banned march against President Olusegun Obasanjo's government in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos on Monday, a force spokesman told AFP.

"We had to teargas some protesters because what they were doing was illegal. They did not get a police permit to demonstrate and we are on the ground to ensure that such protests do not hold," spokesman Emmanuel Ighodalo said.

"The police will not allow anything that will undermine the government and democracy. If it was a legitimate rally, we would not stop them," he said.

Roads to the site of the planned rally were cordoned off by heavily armed police, and large numbers of army troops armed with assault rifles and wearing camouflage fatigues were seen in nearby streets, a reporter said.

A coalition of opposition parties and civil society groups had called for rallies in cities around Nigeria, including the capital Abuja, to protest against alleged ballot-rigging in last year's presidential election.

- AFP