The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed reports alleging that officers attacked residents during the demolition exercise in Oworonshoki.
In a statement by spokesperson Abimbola Adebisi, for the Commissioner of Police, the Command insisted that its officers acted lawfully and professionally throughout the operation.
‘The reports (attacks) are entirely false and mischievously published to mislead the public’, the Command stated on its X handle on Sunday.
It explained that the demolition was conducted by the Lagos State Department of Urban Development and Planning in collaboration with the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences.
According to the Command, the exercise followed several months of official notices to both legal and illegal occupants of the affected structures, and compensation was paid before the operation began.
‘The constitutional duty of the Police is protection of life and property, including the lives of public officials at every level of government while carrying out their lawful official duties and other responsibilities.
‘For the avoidance of doubt, the demolition activity in Oworonshoki is being carried out by the Lagos State Department responsible for Urban Development and Planning in conjunction with the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences, in accordance with the law and other due processes, after several months of official notices served on both legal and illegal occupants of the affected structures, and payment of compensation to the affected occupants concluded’, the force said.
The statement noted that police personnel were only deployed to maintain law and order during the government’s urban renewal exercise.
‘The presence of Police personnel during the demolition exercise was purely to prevent any breakdown of law and order, and at no time did officers of the Command engage in any act of violence, harassment, or collaboration with hoodlums as falsely reported’, the Command stressed.
It added that the presence of officers was strictly to provide security coverage and ensure the exercise was conducted peacefully.
‘Police officers were under strict instructions to act with professionalism, restraint, and respect for human rights’, it added.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has accused the Lagos State Government of violating a valid court order.
Falana said the state government and its agencies carried out midnight demolitions despite an injunction restraining them from doing so.
According to him, Justice A.G. Balogun of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on 23 October 2025, granted an injunction halting further demolitions in Oworonshoki.
He said the order, ‘which was duly served on the defendants, was ignored as officials allegedly mobilised over 50 armed policemen and thugs to the area’.
Falana described the action as ‘gross contempt and flagrant disobedience of the court’.
The Lagos State Police Command, however, reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property while supporting lawful government policies promoting peace and urban development.
It also called for public cooperation with law enforcement agencies in maintaining order across the state.
