Nigerian authorities have been urged to investigate the Lagos State Police Command and its commissioner, Jimoh Moshood, following the alleged assault of activists during a peaceful protest against forced evictions in parts of Lagos, including Makoko.
This was posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday by Amnesty International calling the authorities to investigate Lagos police and its commissioner, Jimoh Moshood.
Rights advocates said activists Hassan Taiwo Soweto and Dele Frank, popularly known as Arole Fela, were “ruthlessly assaulted” by police officers while participating in the demonstration, leaving Soweto and others with severe injuries.
“The Nigerian authorities must investigate the Lagos State Police Command and Commissioner Jimoh Moshood over the ruthless assault on activist Hassan Taiwo Soweto and Dele Frank, widely known as Arole Fela, solely for participating in a peaceful protest against violent and unlawful forced evictions at Makoko and other parts of Lagos,” the advocates said in a statement.
They added that the Lagos State Police Command and the Nigeria Police Force must be held accountable for what they described as impunity.
“The police must be held to account for this impunity that left Hassan Soweto and other activists with severe injuries,” the statement said.
According to the activists, the alleged actions of the police violate both Nigeria’s constitutional guarantees and its international obligations.
“What the activists were subjected to by the police shows a wanton disregard for the right to peaceful protest under Nigeria’s Constitution and the country’s obligations under international human rights law,” they said.
The statement further accused authorities of treating civic action as a security threat rather than a protected right.
“The targeting of activists once again shows how the government treats protest as a threat rather than a right, and how law enforcement officials view their role as suppressing and subduing protesters rather than facilitating their rights,” it added.
As of the time of filing this report, the Lagos State Police Command had not responded to requests for comment.
Read more news on www.newdailyprime.news
