Activist Hassan Taiwo, popularly known as Soweto, and Protest Leader Dele Frank have been granted bail in the sum of ₦200,000 each by the Yaba Magistrate Court in Lagos State.

The ruling followed their arraignment by the Lagos State Police Command over alleged felony offences linked to a protest held on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, in Ikeja.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) represented the defendants.

The Magistrate released the protesters to Falana, who undertook responsibility for them, and adjourned the case to March 3, 2026.

Police Charges and Protest Allegations

The police filed five counts against Soweto, Frank, and other protesters, including conspiracy to commit felony, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, threatening violence, unlawful assembly, and obstruction of traffic.

According to the charge sheet, protesters allegedly blocked major roads across Ikeja Allen Avenue, Alausa, and the Lagos State House of Assembly, mounted loudspeakers on a vehicle, carried a coffin, and sang abusive songs aimed at tarnishing the image of the Lagos State Government and the police.

The Command claimed the protest, which reportedly began at the Ikeja Under-Bridge, blocked Awolowo Road for several hours, disrupted access to hospitals and the airport, and caused panic in parts of Ikeja and Alausa.

While the police prosecutor opposed bail on grounds that the defendants might resume protests and block public institutions, the court nevertheless granted bail with two responsible sureties in like sum.

Allegations of Brutality, Official Denials, and Wider Outrage

Following his release, Soweto alleged severe police brutality, claiming he was assaulted by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood, and other officers inside the Lagos State House of Assembly complex.

He accused the Commissioner of beating and verbally abusing him, ordering officers to blindfold and restrain him, breaking his eyeglasses, and stripping him of his sneakers—leading to his arraignment barefoot and partially unclothed.

Soweto further alleged that at the SCID, Panti, police attempted to forcibly administer medication without his consent and denied him access to his lawyer and family, causing civil society groups to search multiple police stations for his whereabouts.

Human rights organisations and pan-Yoruba group Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá condemned the arrests and alleged brutality, demanding the removal of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.

They accused the authorities of repression and warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against silence, which they described as complicity.

However, the Lagos State Police Command denied firing live ammunition during the protest.

Commissioner Jimoh Olohundare, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, insisted only tear gas was used and dismissed reports of a protester being shot.

Civil society coalitions rejected the police narrative, insisting the protest was peaceful and that demonstrators—mainly evictees from communities such as Makoko, Oworonshoki, Otumara, and Ajegunle—were violently dispersed while demanding an end to forced evictions, demolitions, and alleged land grabbing.

Despite arrests and injuries, Soweto reaffirmed that the struggle would continue, citing an unresolved ₦10 million court judgment against the Lagos State Police from a previous #EndBadGovernance case.