A Nigerian based Pan-African and Anti-Imperialist organization, Amilcar Cabral Ideological School Movement (ACIS-M) has condemned the arrest of Hassan Taiwo Soweto and 21 others during a peaceful protest commemorating the 4th anniversary of the #EndSARS massacre at Lekki Toll Gate.
ACIS-M called for the immediate release of the arrested protesters, decrying the Bola Tinubu regime’s continued repression of peaceful demonstrations.
In a press statement issued, the organization said,
ACIS-M condemns the arrest of Hassan Taiwo Soweto, and 21 others by the Police this morning at Lekki Toll Gate over a peaceful protest to mark the 4th anniversary of #EndSARS killings. We demand their immediate and unconditional release. We understand that they are presently detained at SCID Panti Yaba.
Soweto, a prominent activist and the National Youth Leader of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), has been at the forefront of youth mobilization and was protesting the detention of #EndSARS activists and the failure to implement the Judicial Panel’s report.
ACIS-M listed the names of the arrested protesters as follows:
The protesters had demanded the release of all #ENDSARS protesters still in detention after four years. They also demanded the immediate implementation of the report of the Judicial Panel which includes adequate compensation of the victims of #ENDSARS.
This arrest is a continuation of brutal repression which has been the standard response of Bola Tinubu regime against dissent and peaceful protest. We call on labour movement, civil society organisations and youth groups not to be intimidated but be prepared to mobilise mass resistance against democratic attacks by Tinubu regime as well as its anti-poor neo- liberal policies.
We also demand the immediate release of all still in detention in connection with #EndBadGovernance protest across the country and dropping of trumped charges against Adaramoye Michael Lenin and 10 others
Beaten, arrested & thrown inside a black Maria for holding a banner & wreath to lay at d Lekki toll gate to commemorate do #EndSARS Lekki tollgate massacre. This video was made inside a black Maria. This injustice will not be tolerated, neither will we be cowed. #EndBadGovernancepic.twitter.com/U6utGXRrx1
H.T. Soweto speaks after himself and other protesters were thrown into a “Black Maria”.
The #EndSARS movement emerged in 2020 as a grassroots campaign against police brutality, specifically targeting the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which was notorious for extortion, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
The protests gained international attention as young Nigerians called for systemic reforms within the police force and an end to the culture of impunity.
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, established to investigate the Lekki Toll Gate incident and other related matters, concluded in its report that the Nigerian Army fired live ammunition at unarmed protesters, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
The panel also found that police and military personnel had acted with impunity and recommended the prosecution of those responsible for the violence, as well as adequate compensation for victims’ families.