Jeremy Corbyn, 72 UK leaders demand drop of ‘trumped-up’ charges against Soweto, Frank
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Former UK Labour Party leader and sitting Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn, alongside 72 prominent trade unionists, rights activists, and organisation leaders in the UK, have petitioned Nigerian authorities to immediately withdraw what they call “trumped-up” charges against activists Hassan Taiwo Soweto and Dele Frank, popularly known as Arole Fela.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the Lagos State Government and police authorities titled “Withdraw Trumped-up Charges against Hassan Taiwo Soweto and Dele Frank and End Attacks on Democratic Rights,” the signatories condemn the ongoing trial as an attempt to “legalise attacks on democratic rights, stifle dissent and criminalise peaceful protest.”
The activists face charges stemming from their participation in a peaceful January 28, 2026, protest at the Lagos State House of Assembly gate in Alausa, Ikeja, against forced evictions, demolitions, and land grabbing in informal communities such as Makoko, Oworonshoki, and Otumara.
The letter expresses particular outrage over reports that Soweto, coordinator of the #EndBadGovernance Movement’s Lagos chapter was severely beaten by police during the protest, sustaining serious injury to his lower back. It describes the alleged assault as “bestial.” The letter said more disturbing were claims that Lagos State Police Commissioner Jimoh Moshood personally supervised the beating.
They called for a public, independent probe into the alleged police brutality, to be conducted by a panel including representatives from the Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Medical Association, trade unions, civil society, and media.
They also demanded for the immediate and unconditional release of items unlawfully seized from protesters, including a hired DJ’s public address system, laptop computer, generator, and a first aid box. They argue that this seizure has “heartlessly deprived the owners of their livelihoods” since January 28, 2026.
The letter references a July 24, 2025, Federal High Court judgment in Lagos that reaffirmed the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and protest, awarding N10 million in damages against the Nigerian Police and Lagos State Government. Notably, Soweto was one of the successful applicants in that case, which arose from his arrest during an October 20, 2024, protest marking the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS massacre.
“We believe that the trial is an attempt to legalise attacks on democratic rights,” the letter states. “Protests are a part of the fabric of democratic rights that people have won over many years.”
The signatories vow to continue building support for Soweto and Frank through local and international media, trade unions, human rights organisations, and parliamentarians “of good conscience” until their demands are met.
The signatories are; Jeremy Corbyn (MP, former leader of the Labour Party), Dave Nellist (former MP, chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition), Carmel Gates (NIPSA General Secretary), Steve Gillan (POA General Secretary), among others.
