Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed to continue street protests despite his recent arrest and release by the authorities.
Sowore, who was detained alongside several others during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja, was released on October 27 after spending days in custody.
His arrest came shortly after meeting with IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, over his involvement in the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow October 20 demonstration.
Sowore Insists on Protests Over Oworonshoki Demolition
Just hours after regaining freedom, Sowore took to Facebook to announce another round of protest — this time against the demolition of homes in Oworonshoki, Lagos.
He wrote: “I heard the CP of the Nigeria Police Force Lagos had the effrontery to warn that TIB & I are not to protest over Oworonshoki demolitions. These unprofessional, worn-out officers have no place in our society. The mass action must go on!”
Sowore’s renewed call for protest comes amid widespread anger and heartbreak among Oworonshoki residents whose homes were destroyed in a midnight demolition allegedly carried out by officials of the Lagos State Government.
Tears and Tension in Oworonshoki
Eyewitnesses say the demolition, which took place late on Saturday, reduced dozens of houses to rubble and left many families stranded.
When journalists visited the community, Oluwaseyi and Bishop Ajayi streets had turned into fields of debris, with personal belongings — mattresses, clothes, photographs, and cooking pots — buried under piles of concrete.
Several displaced residents were seen huddling together, cooking with borrowed stoves and preparing to spend the night outdoors. Many refused to speak to reporters, lamenting that “nobody listens to the poor.”
One resident, Mr Idris Adeleke, fought back tears as he recounted his ordeal: “There is no place to stay again. Our children can’t go to school because their homes have been destroyed by the same government that should protect them. They came at night without notice and demolished everything.”
Another resident, clutching a few salvaged items, said: “We are not criminals. We are citizens of Lagos. All we ask is to be treated like human beings. Compensate us or give us somewhere to stay.”
Allegations of Land Grabbing
Some residents accused the state government of using the demolition exercise as a cover for land grabbing.
One of them claimed the cleared lands were being targeted for commercial sale and private development, rather than urban renewal.
“This operation is less about urban renewal and more about dispossessing the poor to benefit the wealthy. They came like thieves in the night, without compensation or relocation plans,” the resident alleged.
Meanwhile, police operatives were deployed across key areas of Lagos — including Ojota, Maryland, Gani Fawehinmi Park, Bagada, and the Lekki Toll Gate — to prevent a planned protest by angry youths.
Despite the tension, Sowore insists that demonstrations over the demolition will go ahead, saying the people’s right to protest “cannot be silenced by threats or intimidation.”