According to the police, the protest began at the Ikeja Under Bridge, where demonstrators blocked Awolowo Road for several hours, extending down to Alausa.
The Lagos State Police Command has said it will charge detained activist Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as “Soweto,” and another protest leader, Dele Frank, in court following a coffin-carrying protest that allegedly blocked major roads in Ikeja on Tuesday.
Soweto, a leading member of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and spokesperson for the #EndBadGovernance Movement in Lagos, was arrested by the officers of the Lagos State Police Command while participating in a protest against the demolition and forced eviction of residents from Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode Onirin and other low-income communities across the state.
The police, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said both men are currently being investigated at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, over their alleged roles in what the Command described as a violent and unlawful demonstration.
According to the police, the protest began at the Ikeja Under Bridge, where demonstrators blocked Awolowo Road for several hours, extending down to Alausa. The protesters were said to have carried a coffin, mounted loudspeakers on a vehicle, and barricaded major routes, bringing traffic to a standstill.
The Command claimed the blockade prevented residents with medical emergencies from accessing hospitals and disrupted travellers heading to the airport, creating panic and chaos in Ikeja and Alausa.
“The unlawful blockage of the Awolowo Way down to the House of Assembly Road prevented people who have medical needs from getting to the hospital,” the statement said, adding that reports of people fainting in their vehicles were recorded.
Police said officers exercised restraint despite what they described as violent confrontation by protesters, insisting their intervention was aimed at restoring law and order and protecting lives and property.
At the Lagos State House of Assembly, the police alleged that protesters attempted to force their way into the complex before officers stopped them. Five members of the Assembly reportedly came out to address the protesters and offered dialogue, promising to relay their grievances to relevant authorities.
However, the police claimed the protesters rejected the appeal and instead barricaded the highway in front of the Assembly complex. The statement alleged that Soweto ordered protesters to sit on the road, effectively shutting down traffic.
“At this point, the Police had no other option but to use minimum force to disperse them with teargas,” the Command said, adding that no deaths or injuries were recorded.
Following the dispersal, Soweto and Dele Frank were arrested at the scene. The police said they are being investigated for conspiracy, conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, threatening violence, instigating disorder, inciting the public to disrupt law and order, and obstructing traffic, contrary to the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
The police also said they recovered a white Toyota vehicle with registration number LND 968 YL, fitted with multiple loudspeakers and two generators, which was allegedly used to block the highway. A coffin carried by the protesters was also recovered as an exhibit.
The Command maintained that its actions were lawful and aimed at safeguarding public order, while insisting that the right to protest must be exercised peacefully and without causing hardship to others.
“Nobody would be allowed to take the law into their hands and cause disturbance of public peace or jeopardise the protection of lives and property,” the police said.
The police added that investigation into the protest leaders is ongoing and that both men will be charged to court within the time stipulated by law.
The DSM had demanded the immediate and unconditional release of its member, Hassan Taiwo Soweto.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday by its Organising Secretary, Peluola Adewale, the DSM accused security operatives of using excessive force to disperse the peaceful protest.
According to the group, police officers fired teargas and live ammunition at protesters, resulting in a protester being shot in the leg.
The group further said that chaos, triggered by the security crackdown, led to a stampede, during which a woman became separated from her baby and is yet to ascertain the child’s whereabouts.
“The police unleashed teargas and live bullets to forcefully disperse the peaceful protesters. A protester was shot in the leg, and a woman at present does not know the whereabouts of her baby as a result of the stampede,” the statement read.
The protesters were victims of the demolitions and residents of the affected communities who had gathered to demand an end to an “unjust and inhumane evictions”.
Condemning the arrests, the group called on the authorities to immediately release Soweto and other detained protesters, warning that the struggle against forced eviction of poor communities must continue.
The organisation also urged the Lagos State Government to halt further demolitions and provide adequate compensation to all victims of forced evictions.
“We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Soweto and others,” the group said. “The government should stop the unjust demolition and adequately compensate the victims of the forced evictions.”