By Fifteen civil society organisations have petitioned the Police Service Commission to investigate the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, over allegations described as abduction, torture and unlawful detention of activist Mr. Hassan Taiwo Soweto during a protest in January.
Among those who petitioned the Commission include the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Justice and Empowerment Initiatives (JEI), Take It Back (TIB), the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), and the Joint Action Front (JAF), among others.
In a letter addressed to the chairman of the Police Service Commission on March 9, the groups alleged that CP Jimoh Moshood “ordered officers to disperse protesters with tear gas and subsequently supervised the arrest and assault of Soweto during a demonstration held on January 28.”
“The organisations further alleged that Soweto was arrested at the protest venue and dragged into the Assembly complex, where he was blindfolded, handcuffed and beaten by several officers.”
The group cited a medical report dated January 29, 2026 from Cityview Hospital in Ogba, Lagos, which confirmed the multiple injuries sustained by Soweto from police. confrontations. The groups further alleged that repeated kicks to his back left him in severe pain and that he has since been undergoing weekly physiotherapy sessions.
“The activist has since been undergoing weekly physiotherapy sessions involving cryotherapy, TENS therapy and lumbar stabilisation exercises at a Lagos health facility.”
The groups are now calling on the Police Service Commission to investigate the issue and have CP Jimoh Moshood and other officers respond to the allegations.
They have also asked the Commission to halt any promotion meant for the alleged officer as doing otherwise could “undermine public confidence in the police disciplinary system.”
The protest, according to the petitioners, was organised among the Makoko, Owode Onirin, Oworonshoki and Ajegunle communities to demand an end to forced evictions and demolitions in parts of Lagos State.
