Why I led the bloody protest in Ajegunle –A.J. Daggar Tolar BY PUNCH NEWSPAPER A.J Dagga Tolar, poet, social activist, and secretary of the Labour and Civil Societies Coalition in Lagos State,and the father and founder of AJ HOUSE OF POETRY as well as the Coordinator of the Ajegunle People‘s Movement, the group that led the recent violent protest against Police brutality and extra-judicial arrests in the area, recounts what happened on Saturday, April 3, 2010. He speaks with CHUX OHAI. Your name doesn‘t sound Nigerian. Are you Nigerian? The thing is to ask what a name is. A name is an identifying mark. It only serves to distinguish one individual from another individual. The fact that my name serves this purpose is enough to identify who I am. I was born in Ajegunle. So my being a part and parcel of this geographical entity known as Nigeria cannot be denied by those who know me closely. It is evident in my actions, past and present, what I write, and those things that have given birth to ideas in this country. They are a reflection of my identity. If we must build a new society for ourselves, the attempt to divide ourselves into groups and classes, when in fact we are one people, is unnecessary. Last week in Ajegunle, when we decided to protest the injustice in the area, we didn‘t have to ask the people whether they were Nigerians or what states they came from before they identified with the cause. There is something that brings all of us together. It is this unity that our rulers have not been able to exploit to create a better society for everybody in this country. Is it true that you led the recent protest against police brutality in Ajegunle? Yes, it is true. We could not but at that moment identify with the youths and the people of that community. We have also acted in the past on the same issues in this community. Considering the fact that in 2002 we protested the actions of the police, it would have been treacherous on our part not to play the same role last week. You just mentioned that as far back as 2002, there have been cases of police brutality in Ajegunle. I should say that it has become a habit among the police in Ajegunle to oppress and brutalize the inhabitants. Ajegunle has become a permanent feasting pot for the rank and file of the police. What Fela Anikulapo-Kuti used to say about police stations serving as banks with the DPOs as the bank managers is very true about the police in Ajegunle. Imagine a situation where illegal raids are carried out by police men and women in the area and innocent people forced into buses commandeered by them. These people are taken away, arrested for no offences, and made to part with their hard earned money. It is that bad. In 2009, the Area B commander, Kenneth Ebirison, sent his men to pick me. They brought me to his office and we had a meeting, during which he called for our cooperation towards ensuring peaceful co- existence in the community. Of course, we reached an understanding and thereafter, on a number of occasions we had to intervene whenever any member of the community was arrested by his men. But the question is, how many people in Ajegunle would have to wait for a Daggar Tolar to secure their release from wrongful detention by the police? So when the raid that resulted in the death of Charles Okafor took place, the people saw their opportunity to move against police brutality and to ensure that the police authorities put an end to it. What we did was to use our organization as a platform to bring this to the knowledge of the authorities and the general public on April 2, 2010. What did you discuss with the police area commander in Ajegunle when you had the meeting with him in 2009? To be continued, keep reading. Ajegunle cannot cry, humanity must not die.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:28:41 +0000
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