Hassan Taiwo Soweto, the National Spokesman for the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), along with 17 members of the #EndBadGovernance Movement, were detained by the police during a protest at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos. The demonstration, which took place on Sunday, was organized to honor the victims of the #EndSARS protests against police violence in October 2020.
Currently, the whereabouts of the arrested individuals are unknown. The detained group includes Remilekun Orunsolu, Olamide Thomas, Micheal Adedeji, Adeseye Eshe, and Olamilekan Sanusi.
A source informed SaharaReporters that the police crackdown on the peaceful demonstration led to the arrests. “Some of our comrades were arrested today after police tear-gassed our protest,” the source reported.
Nigerian human rights advocate Omoyele Sowore condemned the arrests on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, calling for the immediate release of those detained and criticizing the government’s ongoing suppression of peaceful demonstrations. He remarked, “The most senseless police force in the world. Why attack peaceful protesters? Did the Nigeria Police Force think they can use brute force to save Buhari, Tinubu, and @jidesanwoolu for their role at Lekki Toll Gate massacre? NEVER!!! #RevolutionNow.”
