A magistrate’s court sitting in Yaba, Lagos State has granted bail to two leaders of protesters against the government’s demolition of structures in Makoko and Oworonshoki, Taiwo Hassan, popularly called Soweto, and Dele Frank, following their arrest during demonstration at the Lagos House of Assembly entrance.
They were granted bail at N200,000 each, and released into the personal custody of their lawyer, Femi Falana, pending formal perfection of the bail conditions.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, the magistrate, A.I.O. Alaka, added that aside the funds, both suspects arraigned before the court over comments made during the protests, they would provide two sureties per defendant.
Falana described the charges as illegal and in violation of Sections 39 and 40 of the Nigerian constitution, which guarantee freedom of expression and assembly.
He told the court that the defendants had been detained since the protest, denied contact with the outside world, and sustained injuries during their arrest. Video evidence submitted by the lawyer purportedly showed the protest was peaceful.
Representing the Lagos State police, Anthony Ihiehie, warned the court that the defendants could return to obstruct government facilities if granted bail, requesting conditions reflecting the seriousness of the charges.
The defendants face five counts, including conspiracy to commit felony, threatening the public, causing a breach of peace, obstructing traffic, and singing abusive songs against the police and Lagos State Government.
The police said the alleged offences occurred along Allen Avenue, Alausa, Ikeja, during a protest organised by residents to voice grievances over demolitions.
They accused the defendants of using a vehicle with loudspeakers to obstruct public highways and of conducting themselves in a manner likely to provoke public disorder, citing sections 411, 56, and 57 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendants pleaded not guilty. The case was adjourned to 3 March for further hearing.
The demonstration followed forced evictions in waterfront communities including Makoko, Owode-Onirin, Oworonshoki, and Ajegunle.
Civil society groups, including the #EndBadGovernance Movement (Lagos Chapter) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), joined affected residents to protest the demolitions.
During the demonstration, the protesters, who marched peacefully from Ikeja Underbridge to the State House of Assembly, we’re armed with placards reading “Save Our Souls” and “Stop the Killings, Stop Demolition of Our Homes.”
The Lagos State Police, however, described the protest as disruptive, saying protesters blocked Awolowo Way for over six hours, used loudspeakers to intimidate the public, carried a coffin, and sat on the highway, preventing road users from reaching their destinations.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, claimed police used “minimum force” to disperse the crowd and recorded no injuries.
