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By John Ogunsemore
Lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju said the demolition of Makoko community and subsequent treatment of residents protesting the action is tantamount to criminalising poverty.
Adeyanju said this in a Facebook post on Thursday, a day after activists and residents staged a protest at the Lagos State House of Assembly complex.
Some of the protesters were subsequently arrested, although the Lagos State Police Command debunked allegations of using deadly force to quash the protest.
Two of the arrested activists, Taiwo Hassan and Dele Frank, were arraigned before the Yaba Magistrate Court on Thursday.
The police arraigned the activists on a five-count charge bordering on disturbance of public peace, to which they pleaded not guilty.
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Adeyanju condemned the arrests of the protesters, saying protest is not a crime.
He said, “I strongly condemn the arrest of activists, including Comrade Hassan Taiwo Soweto, during protests in Lagos.
“Targeting the poor and criminalising poverty is unacceptable. It is not a crime to fight for the downtrodden and oppressed, and no one should be punished for standing up for justice and human dignity.
“Activism is important to any democratic society, and those who raise their voices for fairness and accountability must be allowed to do so without fear of violence or detention.
“I call for the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Soweto and all others who have been wrongfully detained, and urge authorities to stop punishing people for demanding their rights.”
