The Lagos State Police Command has stated that it will charge two leaders of the Makoko demolition protest on Wednesday, despite the reported largely peaceful conduct of the protest.
Although the demonstration was peaceful, the police had without any provocation from the assembly, opened fire, attacked protesters and journalists covering the event with gunfire leaving many injured.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that residents of Lagos waterfront communities, like as Makoko, Owode Onirin, and Oworonshoki, joined members of civil society organisations in protesting the state government’s continuing demolition efforts.
In a statement posted on X, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Adebisi, said the protesters blocked Awolowo Way in front of the Lagos State House of Assembly for over six hours, causing “disturbance of public peace, distortion of law and order, and preventing the general public from use and passage to earn their means of livelihood and other medical emergencies.”
The police described the demonstrators as “violent,” alleging they carried a coffin and used a vehicle with loudspeakers to intimidate the public.
“The arrowhead, one Taiwo Hassan, nicknamed ‘Soweto,’ ordered the protesters to sit on the public highway, preventing road users from reaching their destinations,” the statement read.
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The Police however said they used “minimum force” to disperse the crowd with teargas and reopened the road, claiming no injuries were recorded.
According to the statement, Mr. Soweto and Dele Frank were taken into custody on charges of conspiracy, inciting public disorder, threatening violence, and impeding traffic.
The statement further noted that a Toyota Canta vehicle and a coffin used during the protest were recovered.
The command cautioned that protests must not interfere with regular activity while defending its measures as required to “protect lives and property.”
According to the statement, the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, is still looking into the suspected roles of the arrested leaders in anticipation of possible court charges.
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