A non-governmental organisation, Spaces for Change, has hailed the release on bail of Comrade Agbodemu Ishola Musbau, one of the leaders of Otto Lagos Mainland community slammed with charges of cyber bullying because he protested the forced displacement of his people.
According to a statement by executive director of Spaces for Change, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, the community leader was detained on May 9th 2024 and arraigned in court on May 10th 2024 on charges of “breach of peace by offensive publication, publication of false news and hateful statements.”
The statement said Agbodemu’s arrest came at the behest of certain powerful individuals with interest in his community, who had petitioned the Nigerian Police Force, alleging cyberbullying following his continued protest on his social media handle, of the illegal demolition and burning of houses, which displaced over 4000 people, including women and children.
The statement adds: “The ordeal of Comrade Agbodemu raises, once more, the need for the continued defence of the civic space against the act of oppression from state and non-state actors.
“Moreover, the protestation of Comrade Agbodemu of the illegal demolition and displacement of the residents of 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 sphere, 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 civic space.”