• Rights groups condemn demolitions, demand justice for displaced residents
The Lagos State Police Command yesterday arraigned activist Comrade Hassan Taiwo, popularly known as Soweto, and one Dele Frank before the Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court over their alleged roles in a protest against illegal demolitions, forcible evictions and land grabbing in the state.
The defendants were arrested on Wednesday following a demonstration at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Alausa, Ikeja, where protesters decried the demolition of informal communities across Lagos.
Soweto and Frank were charged on five counts bordering on conspiracy, conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, threats, unlawful assembly, obstruction of traffic, and singing abusive songs against the police and the Lagos State Government.
Police prosecution counsel, Anthony Ihiehie, told the court that the defendants, alongside others still at large, committed the alleged offences on January 28, 2026, at Allen Avenue, Alausa, and within the precincts of the House of Assembly.
He alleged that the protesters obstructed the free flow of traffic, threatened members of the public who refused to join the protest, and used a vehicle fitted with a public address system to block the highway.
According to the prosecutor, the defendants also sang abusive songs against the police and the state government with intent to provoke the public and tarnish the image of the authorities. He said the alleged offences contravened Sections 411, 56, 57 and 57(c) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Proceedings took a dramatic turn when human rights lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN) announced his appearance for the defendants.
The prosecutor objected, citing a 2025 judgment of an Oyo State High Court which he claimed barred Senior Advocates of Nigeria from appearing before lower courts.
Falana dismissed the objection, insisting that Section 36(6)(c) of the 1999 Constitution guarantees every defendant the right to be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice.
He also argued that Lagos State laws expressly permit SANs to appear before Magistrates’ Courts, citing Section 9 of the Lagos Magistrates’ Court Law.
In her ruling, Magistrate Mrs I O Alaka upheld Falana’s submission, holding that the rank of SAN does not restrict a lawyer’s right of appearance. She subsequently entertained Falana’s application for bail.
Falana urged the court to grant the defendants bail on liberal terms, describing the charges as an infringement on their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
The prosecutor opposed the application, urging the court to impose strict conditions to ensure the defendants’ attendance.
The court granted Soweto and Frank bail in the sum of N200,000 each, with two responsible sureties in like sum, and adjourned the case to March 3, 2026, for mention. Falana personally undertook to produce the defendants in court and ensure compliance with the bail conditions.
Meanwhile, the Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation (GAFAMORG) has condemned the actions of the Lagos State Government over the forced demolition of homes, shelters and workshops in Owode-Onírín, Oworonshoki and Makoko.
GAFAMORG said the demolitions were carried out without adequate notice, humane engagement, provision of alternative accommodation or compensation.
Chairman of the organisation, Mr Babatunde Agunbiade, said the actions led to loss of lives, destruction of livelihoods, displacement of families, and trauma across entire communities, describing it as state-sponsored violence against the poor.
“We remind the Lagos State Government that housing is a human right, not a privilege, and protest is a constitutional right, not a crime. A government that demolishes the homes of the poor and jails those who protest such injustice has lost all moral legitimacy.”
GAFAMORG demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Soweto and all protesters and activists arrested during the peaceful protest, an immediate halt to demolitions and forced evictions, adequate compensation for victims, and provision of alternative housing.
Also, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) condemned what it described as “the violent, unlawful and deeply reprehensible actions of the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Police Force” over the protest.
In a statement yesterday by its Media and Communications Officer, Mr Robert Egbe, CAPPA said security operatives led by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Olohundare, attacked displaced residents who had assembled at the complex to express grievances over ongoing demolitions and forced evictions across waterfront and low-income communities in the state.
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