The groups accused the police and state authorities of repression, brutality, and disregard for the constitutional rights of the protesters.
Human rights groups, namely the Socialist Labour, Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), and the #EndBadGovernance Movement, Lagos State Chapter, have condemned the police brutality and arrest of activist Comrade Hassan Taiwo Soweto and other protesters during a peaceful protest against forced eviction and demolitions in Lagos State communities by the state government.
The groups accused the police and state authorities of repression, brutality, and disregard for the constitutional rights of the protesters.
The protest, held on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, was organised by residents of communities including Makoko, Ajegunle, Oworonshoki, Owode-Onirin, and other parts of Lagos affected by recurring demolitions and forced eviction activities by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
The demonstrators marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly, Alausa, Ikeja, to demand an end to the destruction of their homes and to present petitions to lawmakers.
However, the Lagos State Police Command reportedly fired live ammunition and teargas on the protesters and “unlawfully” arrested Soweto and other protesters despite the peaceful nature of the demonstration.
In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Abiodun Olamosu, the Socialist Labour described the brutality and arrest of Soweto and other protesters as an attack on the rights to peaceful assembly, protest, and free expression guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution.
On Wednesday, SaharaReporters reported that the demonstration began peacefully, with protesters marching in daylight from the Ikeja Under-Bridge to Alausa.
Participants carried placards and petitions, remained unarmed, and did not obstruct public infrastructure or damage property.
However, tensions escalated when protesters were denied access to the designated public assembly area within the House of Assembly complex.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Otunba Ogundipe Stephen Olukayode, led a delegation of lawmakers to persuade the protesters to disperse.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Jimoh, also joined the engagement.
Soweto and other activists leading the protest responded by asserting their constitutional rights and urging protesters to remain calm.
But when it appeared that verbal persuasion failed, the police resorted to excess force and physically assaulted protesters, leading to several injuries.
Socialist Labour condemned the fact that the “police attacked, brutalised and tear-gassed peaceful protesters simply for exercising their democratic rights,” and that Soweto and others were arrested without justification.
Several protesters sustained injuries during the dispersal, with some hospitalised due to teargas inhalation and stampede-related trauma.
Journalists and medical volunteers present at the protest were also affected.
Multiple groups have since accused the police commissioner of overseeing a pattern of repression.
In a separate statement signed by its National Secretary, Francis Nwapa, Youth Rights Campaign described the commissioner as a “grim symbol of police brutality,” alleging that under his leadership, peaceful protests in Lagos have frequently been met with teargas, mass arrests, and, in some cases, live ammunition.
The YRC and other organisations recalled previous incidents, including the June 12, 2025 #EndBadGovernance protest, where Jimoh allegedly threatened demonstrators, and earlier clashes in Oworonshoki during protests against forced eviction.
They also criticised the commissioner’s past declaration of civil rights activist Omoyele Sowore as “wanted,” which they described as unlawful and politically motivated.
“These actions reflect contempt for democratic rights and human life,” YRC stated, calling for Jimoh’s immediate removal and an independent investigation into his conduct
The groups also criticised the Lagos State Government’s urban renewal and demolition policies, arguing that they disproportionately target poor and working-class communities while benefiting political cronies, land speculators, and private developers.
“The homes of workers and the urban poor are being demolished to make way for profiteers, increasing homelessness and social insecurity,” the group said, demanding an immediate halt to all demolitions and forced evictions.
The #EndBadGovernance Movement Lagos Chapter rejected police claims that the protest was disruptive or unruly, describing such assertions as fabricated narratives aimed at criminalising marginalised communities.
The group also dismissed allegations surrounding a coffin reportedly seen at the protest, explaining that it was a symbolic representation of lives lost due to demolitions, including infants, and that it was peacefully handed over to the police upon request.
Organisers of the protest accused lawmakers of abandoning protesters to police violence, noting that members of the House of Assembly remained inside the complex during the crackdown and failed to intervene despite being aware of the protest’s peaceful nature.
Socialist Labour, YRC, and the #EndBadGovernance Movement, in their demand, called for the immediate and unconditional release of Soweto, Frank Dele, and all other detained protesters.
They also demanded compensation for the injured protesters; the return of confiscated property; and an end to the criminalisation of peaceful protest.
They further demanded the suspension of the Lagos Police Commissioner, Fatai Jimoh, and a halt to all illegal demolitions, particularly those carried out in defiance of court orders.
“Police brutality will not silence the struggle,” the groups declared, vowing to continue resistance against forced evictions, land grabbing, and what they described as state-sponsored repression in Lagos.