Human rights organisations, activists and social media users have condemned the Lagos State Police Command and the Lagos State Government over the arrest of protesters and the use of tear gas to disperse residents protesting the demolition of their homes across parts of the state.
The backlash followed Wednesday’s police action against hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in Ikeja to protest what they described as forced displacement without adequate compensation or relocation.
The protesters, drawn from communities including Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode-Onirin and Oko Baba, carried placards reading: “A megacity cannot be built on the bones and blood of the poor,” “Urban poor is not a crime,” “Stop killing us,” “Justice for Owode-Onirin traders,” and “Lagos is not for the rich alone.” They also chanted solidarity songs.
The protest began in the early hours and gathered momentum at the Ikeja Under Bridge, from where the demonstrators marched towards the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa.
At various points, the protesters demanded proper relocation plans if demolitions were unavoidable and compensation for residents who allegedly lost their lives during previous demolition exercises.
On arrival at the Assembly gate, the demonstrators were stopped by the Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, who informed them that access into the legislative complex would not be allowed.
The decision was resisted by protest leaders, who insisted they would not leave unless granted entry to engage directly with lawmakers.
Although some legislators later stepped outside the complex to address the protesters, the offer was rejected, with demonstrators maintaining that any dialogue must take place within the Assembly premises.
The standoff later escalated as police officers fired tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.
Thick smoke enveloped the area, triggering panic and forcing protesters to flee in different directions. Several people sustained injuries, while journalists covering the protest also scrambled for safety.
A PUNCH videographer, Sulaiman Adeniyi, collapsed after inhaling tear gas fumes, while a nursing mother was seen shielding her baby as she ran to safety. One protester sustained a leg injury after being struck by a tear gas canister.
Defending the police action in an interview aired by News Central Television, Commissioner Jimoh said the protest violated the rights of other road users.
He alleged that demonstrators blocked the highway, threw pebbles at him and verbally abused police officers.
“Peaceful protest is allowed, but when it blocks a public highway, it becomes dangerous to lives, including those of the protesters,” Jimoh said.
“I cannot allow vehicles to run over protesters under my watch. After four lawmakers addressed them and they still refused to disperse, they pushed my officers, causing them to fall on their rifles. We applied minimal force—tear gas—so millions of Nigerians using that road could go to work.”
However, activist Yemi Adamolekun, who was present at the protest, disputed the police account, insisting the demonstration was peaceful.
She said protesters were preparing to sit down when tear gas was fired and denied claims that the road was blocked or that the commissioner was attacked.
“These people are homeless—where exactly do you expect them to go? The claim that they blocked the road is false,” she said.
Also reacting, the President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Debo Adeniran, condemned the use of force, describing it as a violation of citizens’ constitutional rights to peaceful protest.
Similarly, the Lagos State Coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement, Oluwatosin Adeyemi, faulted the police action and called for the release of protesters allegedly arrested during the demonstration.
“Peaceful protest is not a crime. The use of force against unarmed residents demanding justice is unacceptable,” he said, adding that several protesters, including a protest leader, Comrade Hassan Taiwo Soweto, sustained injuries.
Confirming arrests, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said two individuals—Taiwo Hassan and Dele Frank—were arrested for conspiracy and conduct likely to breach public peace.
She alleged that the protesters barricaded the road and said the suspects would be charged to court within the time allowed by law.
She also disclosed that a Toyota Canta vehicle fitted with loudspeakers and generators, as well as a coffin allegedly carried by protesters to incite fear, were recovered as exhibits.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State House of Assembly denied ignoring the protesters despite being on recess.
In a statement, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Stephen Ogundipe, said lawmakers attempted to engage the protesters in good faith but dialogue was rejected.
He added that a protest leader verbally abused the Commissioner of Police, accusing him of murder—an allegation the Assembly described as reckless and unfounded.
Efforts to obtain reactions from the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, and the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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2026-01-29
