Lagos Police has arrested an activist, Abdulganiu Olushipo, for advocating good governance from Lagos Mainland Local Government chairperson, Mrs Omolola Essien, on the local government’s WhatsApp platform.
Meanwhile, Olushipo’s arrest has triggered a protest by the youths in the area leading to the launching of an online campaign to get the activist freed.
According to reports, Olushipo, a resident of Lagos Mainland, was arrested and detained in a police station in Surulere on Monday.
His arrest followed a WhatsApp comment where he called for good governance in the local government.
In the viral message shared by the youths, under the aegis of the Mainland Youths Initiative, they accused the Local Government Chairperson, Omolola Essien, of orchestrating Olushipo’s arrest after posting an “unconfirmed” local governments allocation figures.
Before his arrest, Olushipo had forwarded the viral WhatsApp message to the platform detailing how much Lagos Mainland Local Government got in recent times.
Olushipo’s WhatsApp post read: “Federal Allocation from January to December. January – N1.44trn, February- N1.03tr, March – N714b, April – N872b, May – N976b, June – N1.13trn, July – N1.89trn, Aug – N1.80trn, Sep – N1.48trn, Oct – N906bn, Nov – N1.08trn, and Dec – N1.78trn.
“Total – N15.152 Trillion
“This is what YOUR government (State/Local) collected on YOUR behalf from the FG in 2023. Interestingly, only ONCE in the last 6 months since the Tinubu government came in has the money shared not exceeded N1trn.
“Hold your chairman for development no excuse. Asiwaju is working.”
In response to this, the chief press secretary to the LMLG chairperson, Jeffrey Anyasi, denied the figures and accused Olushipo of “cyberbullying” and “cyberstalking”.
He said, “Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. It’s important to uphold principles of freedom of speech and ensure that individuals can express their opinions without fear of unjust repercussions.
“However, it’s crucial to note that the arrest of Abdulganiu Olushipo is not solely based on his call for good governance, but rather due to suspected cyberbullying or cyberstalking related to inaccurate claims about the Lagos Mainland Local Government.
“While advocating good governance is commendable, it’s imperative to do so responsibly and within the bounds of the law. Cyberbullying and spreading false information can have serious consequences, and law enforcement authorities have a duty to investigate such matters.”
Anyasi added that, Rather than demanding transparency online, such should only be done physically at the local government secretariat.
