Spaces for Change (S4C) has hailed the release on bail of Comrade Agbodemu Ishola Musbau, the vibrant community leader in Otto in the Lagos Mainland community who was detained on May 9, 2024, by the police, saying oppression in whatever form or coloration will be resisted.
On May 10, 2024, he faced arraignment on charges of breach of peace through offensive publication, publication of false news, and hateful statements.
His arrest came at the behest of certain powerful individuals with an interest in his community who had petitioned the Nigerian Police Force, alleging cyberbullying, following his continued protest on his social media handle about illegal demolition and burning of houses, which displaced over 4000 people, including women and children.
A statement by Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, the Executive Director, Spaces for Change, emailed to Persecondnews on Friday said the ordeal of Comrade Agbodemu has raised, once more, the need for the continued defence of the civic space against acts of oppression from state and non-state actors.
It said: “Moreover, the protestation of Comrade Agbodemu about the illegal demolition and displacement of the residents of the Otto Community remains a fundamental human right protected by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other international human rights instruments.
“Spaces for Change | S4C has actively put in the necessary efforts to not only secure the Comrade’s bail but to represent him throughout the subsistence of this charge in court.
“In keeping with our resolution to continue to defend the civic space, even in the housing and urban governance spheres.
“S4C will continue to show its support for the pursuit of justice for not just Comrade Agbodemu but for the residents of the Otto Community who have been devastated by the forced evictions and displacements they have faced in recent times.
“We remain resolute in our desire to combat the forces that threaten the civic space.”
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