Two human rights activists, Hassan Taiwo, popularly known as Soweto, and Zikora Ibeh, have accused the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Olohundare, of assault and torture during anti-demolition protests held in parts of the state.
Soweto alleged that the police commissioner and his men assaulted him repeatedly before dragging him to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, following his arrest.
Hundreds of demonstrators converged in Ikeja on Wednesday before marching towards the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa to protest what they described as displacement without adequate compensation or relocation plans.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “A megacity cannot be built on the bones and blood of the poor” and “Justice for Owode-Onirin traders,” the protesters, drawn from Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode-Onirin, Oko Baba, and other communities, demanded compensation, relocation, and justice over past demolitions.
Several persons, including journalists and a nursing mother, were reportedly affected by tear gas fired by the police to disperse the crowd, while one protester sustained a leg injury.
A photograph showing the injured protester being assisted to a hospital later circulated widely on social media, sparking claims that the individual had been shot.
In the aftermath, human rights groups, activists, and social media users accused the Lagos State Police Command and the state government of using excessive force. The police, however, denied firing gunshots, insisting that no gun was discharged during the protest.
Following the protest, Soweto and Dele Frank were arraigned before the Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court on Thursday over their alleged roles in the demonstration. They were charged with five counts including conspiracy, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, threats, unlawful assembly, obstruction of traffic, and singing abusive songs against the police and the Lagos State Government.
The court granted them bail of N200,000 each, with two sureties, and adjourned the case to March 3, 2026, for mention.
In a statement issued on his behalf by Ibeh, Soweto accused the police of torture, brutality, abduction, and inhuman treatment.
Soweto said, “The CP began to beat me up immediately I was dragged into Alausa. When he realised I could see and recognised him among those assaulting me, he ordered his men to tear my shirt and blindfold me with it. They continued beating me until they decided to move me into a van and take me to Panti.”
Ibeh, who was present at the court during Soweto’s trial, said the activist authorised him to give a preliminary account of his alleged abduction, which he described as “a vindictive attempt to destabilise the protest.”
According to Ibeh, Soweto was forcibly dragged into the Lagos State House of Assembly complex, where the commissioner allegedly assaulted and berated him for publicly accusing the police of killing babies and innocent persons.
“He was beaten repeatedly. Boots were used on his face and other parts of his body. The officers also attempted to strangle him with the neckpiece he was wearing, leaving his neck visibly bruised and impairing his ability to swallow,” Ibeh alleged.
(Punch)
