Sowore lambasts government over arrests of two persons at scene of demolition in Oworonshoki 

CITIZENS COMPASS -THE presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 elections, Omoyele Sowore, has demanded the release of two persons arrested at the scene of demolition of buildings in Oworonshoki area of Lagos State. 

The arrest took place on Tuesday August 1, 2023,  when the state government continued demolition of buildings which commenced on Monday, July 24, 2023. 

Citizens Compass had reported that scores of people were rendered homeless during the exercise. 

Many were said to have lost their means of livelihood to the exercise. 

One of the arrested persons, Ogunlami Opeyemi, shared a video of himself alongside another man in a vehicle of the Lagos State Task Force.

“We were arrested in connection to the incident going on at Oworonshoki. We are at Oshodi Oke at the moment,” Ogunlami said in a Facebook live video posted Tuesday morning.

A source in the area identified simply as Jharmo, said the two men were arrested while addressing the people, majorly victims of the demolition, who gathered at the scene.

They continued the demolition today. He (Ogunlami) was only there to address people and they (the task force officials) challenged his presence. When others ran, he stood and they wondered why he didn’t run, so they picked him up,” said Jharmo.

Sowore said the task force officials arrested Ogunlami for “questioning illegal demolition of houses in Oworonshoki.””The task force team lead did not take him to proper @PoliceNG station but kept him in a mobile detention vehicle and began driving him all over Lagos since his arrest. We demand his immediate release,” he stated in a post on X via @yeleSowore on Tuesday.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said he did not have details of the incident at the moment.

He said, “When they are done with the demolition and return, I will get an update. I don’t have one for now.”

It was learnt that streets such as Oke-Eri, Oluwaseyi, Community, Cornerstone, Ogo-Oluwa and others, housing several buildings, were affected by the demolition.

A concerned citizen, @Oluwavalu on his Instagram post saud, “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others – George Orwell animal farm.

My fingers tremble as I write this, on Monday the 24th of July 2023, I received various calls and text messages that “Policemen and Lagos task force officers are at the Idi-araba part of the community where we started Slum Party.

“Though i wasn’t physically around at the time of the call, I started reaching out to people in the community trying to find out what was going on. That was when I “started to hear the horrific stories.

The Lagos task force team came wearing face masks, tens of policemen came in two Black Maria Trucks, and three Caterpillars. One would think there was war happening in the community alas, it was the Lagos state government who had come to displace Women, children and their families from their homes!

“As I speak to you, hundreds of houses are been demolished and set on fire afterwards, you know what the catch is? “The government and the security agencies are trying their best to make sure news about this doesn’t get out! They have been smashing phones and cameras of anyone attempting to record while beating them up and bundling them into their vans.

Now if you are conversant with the “Nigerian government, you will know been poor is already a crime in this country. This community is trying to heal from 5years of incessant violence for goodness sake! Just few months after many of them voted you in, you decide to take their homes away from them, why? Because they cannot afford to build skyscrapers? 

“This community gave myself and the dancers a space to train and create for free! We mentor over 20 children in dance and the performance arts here! Women in the community who are part of our weekly women’s fitness program all reside in this part of the community! Slum Party happens here every year, this is our base! This is where we work and inspire people all over the world from!”