Soweto vows to continue Lagos demolition protests despite police arrests

The leader of a coalition protesting demolitions, forced evictions, and displacement in Lagos, Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Soweto, has pledged that the group’s activism will continue despite alleged intimidation and hardships.

Soweto, who led a demonstration on Wednesday, was arrested alongside Dele Frank after officers of the Lagos State Police Command dispersed protesters with tear gas at the entrance of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The dispersal caused panic as demonstrators scattered to avoid harm.

After spending a night in police custody, both men were arraigned at a Magistrate’s Court in Yaba on Thursday and granted bail.

Magistrate A.I.O. Alaka admitted them to bail in the sum of N200,000 each, with two responsible sureties required per defendant.

The duo faces a five-count charge, including conspiracy to commit a felony, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, obstruction of traffic, threatening the public, and singing abusive songs against the police and Lagos State Government.

Following his release, Soweto alleged that he endured police brutality, claiming he was blindfolded and beaten before being taken to the Panti police station in Yaba.

Despite the ordeal, he maintained that the protest movement would continue until the demands of affected communities were met.

“We will not relent. What matters most is that the needs of residents in Makoko, Oworonshoki, and other affected areas are addressed. We demand an immediate halt to demolitions and fair compensation for victims,” he said.

Comrade Alex Omotehinse, President of the Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights, condemned the arrests, describing them as an example of excessive police force.

He accused the Lagos State Commissioner of Police of partisanship and vowed that protests would persist.

Similarly, Comrade Ibrahim Oluwatobilola of Voice of the Masses criticised the incident as a sign of shrinking civic space, warning that suppressing peaceful demonstrations undermines democratic principles.

She called on authorities to respect citizens’ rights and urgently address the grievances of displaced communities.