Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has condemned what it described as the ‘violent, unlawful, and deeply reprehensible actions’ of the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force against hundreds of peaceful victims of illegal demolitions, assault, and killings, who gathered at the state House of Assembly on Wednesday afternoon.
But the Assembly said that it was on recess when during the alleged incident, but it nonetheless mobilised four of its members present within the complex to engage the protesters ‘in good faith’.
In a statement by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, CAPPA said that security operatives, led by the State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood, attacked hundreds of displaced residents who had gathered at the Assembly complex to express their grievances over the ongoing demolitions and forced evictions across waterfronts and low-income communities in the state.
CAPPA demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Taiwo Hassan (alias Hassan Soweto), a member of the #EndBadGovernance Movement in the state, alongside other demonstrators arrested during the protest.
The organisation said that Soweto, alongside several protesters, including Comrade Jacob Akiri and Evangelist Isaac Doosuga, a septuagenarian from Makoko, were forcibly seized by police officers after the Commissioner of Police ordered the use of tear gas on the crowd.
CAPPA described the incident as a flagrant violation of constitutional rights and a continuation of what it called the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s ‘pattern of repression, lawlessness, and cruelty against poor and displaced communities’. It said that the actions of the state authorities showed a shocking disregard for human dignity, the rule of law, and democratic norms.
The organisation further said that the violent behaviour by the state has reportedly led to the deaths of 12 persons in Makoko, including a five-day-old baby, as well as many others across demolished communities.
CAPPA said that the displaced residents, including elderly men and women whose homes and livelihoods had been destroyed, had marched for hours peacefully from Ikeja Under-Bridge to the state House of Assembly to formally present their grievances to lawmakers.
‘Unfortunately, lawmakers who briefly came out to address the protesters, including Hon. Stephen Olukayode Ogundipe, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, refused to allow the protesters access to the Assembly premises or the amphitheatre, a public civic space meant for citizen engagement. Exhausted protesters, including elderly persons, were denied seats and even the most basic courtesies’, the CAPPA statement noted
The organisation said that, despite the refusal, the protesters remained calm and orderly, insisting only on their right to be heard, while proceeding to sit on the grounds under the hot sun. It stated that the situation escalated only after security agents deployed tear gas and violent force without provocation.
CAPPA said that police officers fired tear gas canisters directly at unarmed protesters, with lawmakers fully aware of the situation, triggering injuries and panic. It reported that a community member, Kafayat Muftaudeen was struck on the leg by a tear gas canister and remains hospitalised, with surgery being considered. It added that a journalist covering the protest, Oluwaferanmi Oladipupo of Daily Family, was severely affected by tear gas exposure and placed on oxygen, alongside other victims, including Jennifer Rita Obiora, a medical professional and member of the #EndBadGovernance (Lagos State chapter), who was also allegedly brutalised and rushed to the hospital.
The organisation further said that several protesters reported the forceful seizure of personal belongings and work tools by police officers, describing the actions as unacceptable, criminal, and dangerous to press freedom and civic space.
Responding to claims by the state House of Assembly that unruly behaviour by Soweto allegedly escalated the situation, CAPPA dismissed the assertion as false and misleading. The organisation said that Soweto repeatedly urged protesters to remain peaceful and encouraged them to sit calmly outside the Assembly complex after lawmakers refused them entry. It added that its account is verifiable in all available video recordings of the incident.
CAPPA stated that the Commissioner of Police appeared to have taken personal offence at Soweto’s public criticism of the continued use of brute force by police officers against displaced communities, which the organisation said had resulted in deaths, including those of infants, during demolition exercises.
According to the organisation, the police action against Soweto was deliberate and targeted. It alleged that the Commissioner of Police advised some protesters to move away and disassociate themselves from Soweto at the Assembly ground, forcibly seized him, and deployed tear gas against the crowd, leaving several protesters disoriented.
The organisation also rejected claims that the state House of Assembly had earlier committed to intervening in the demolitions during a previous engagement with protesters on 15 January. It said that demolitions continued after that meeting and that affected residents were later informed by some other lawmakers, during a private meeting, that there was no possibility of definitive intervention because their entire land had been sold off. It added that the lawmakers advised community members to prepare for eventual eviction within five years.
CAPPA said that the latest incident demonstrated what it described as the state government’s ‘insensitivity’ and the active role of the Commissioner of Police in aggravating the suffering of displaced residents. It said that the conduct of the police leadership showed vindictiveness and a lack of restraint expected of public officeholders.
Quoting its Executive Director, Oluwafemi Akinbode the organisation said that the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful protest were guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and protected under international human rights law.
Akinbode said that there was no legal, moral, or political justification for the use of tear gas or force against unarmed citizens and journalists exercising their rights. He added that the incident reflected a growing pattern of responding to civic dissent with repression rather than dialogue, particularly when protests exposed failures around demolitions and forced evictions carried out without adequate notice, compensation, or humane resettlement.
CAPPA demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all protesters detained during the protest.
It further demanded the immediate return of all personal belongings, work tools, and electronic devices allegedly seized or stolen from protesters and journalists by police officers during the crackdown, including a music van with speakers, as well as personal handbags and other property belonging to protesters.
The organisation also called for the immediate suspension of all demolition and forced eviction operations across the Sstate and demanded independent investigations into reported killings in Makoko, Owode, Oworonshoki, and other affected communities, as well as the excessive use of force against protesters, with all those responsible held accountable.
CAPPA urged the Nigeria Police Force to end what it described as its ‘routine use of violence against peaceful demonstrators, Lagosians, and journalists’ and called on the Speaker and members of the Assembly to engage affected communities in good faith rather than endorsing or enabling state violence.
The organisation warned that it would not hesitate to mobilise civil society, affected communities, and the wider public against what it described as escalating state injustice if its demands were not met.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ogundipe, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security said that CAPPA’s report ‘contains several inaccuracies, distortions, and unverified allegations capable of misleading the public and inflaming tensions’.
He said: ‘Contrary to insinuations that lawmakers “watched” or ignored the situation, it must be clearly stated that the Lagos State House of Assembly was officially on recess at the time of the incident.
‘Notwithstanding this, upon receiving information about the gathering at the Assembly gate, Hon. (Otunba) Ogundipe Stephen Olukayode, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, mobilised four other Honourable Members who were present within the complex to engage the protesters in good faith.
‘This action alone demonstrates the Assembly’s openness to dialogue and commitment to democratic engagement, even outside plenary sitting periods’.
On the issue of protesters opting for forcible access rather than dialogue, the house said: ‘Upon arrival at the main gate of the Assembly complex, the Honourable Members clearly informed the protesters that: The Assembly was on recess; Engagement could be held peacefully at the gate; Their grievances would be duly documented and escalated appropriately.
‘However, the protesters flatly rejected dialogue at the gate and insisted on gaining access into the Assembly complex, in clear violation of established security protocols governing legislative premises’.
On the alleged unruly conduct and verbal abuse from a protester, the House said: ‘During the engagement, the individual who identified himself as Taiwo Hassan (alias Hassan Soweto) became openly confrontational and verbally abusive.
‘He directed uncouth, defamatory, and inflammatory language at Honourable Members present and the Commissioner of Police, who was physically on the ground solely to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
‘The activist went as far as publicly accusing the Commissioner of murder, alleging his hands and mouth were full of blood, statements that are grave, reckless, and unsupported by evidence.
‘At a point, he openly challenged an Honourable Member, Hon. Tobun, to “prove his comradeship”, and arrogantly ordered him to “shut up” if he had nothing “good” to say. Such conduct was hostile, provocative, and inconsistent with peaceful protest’.
On the security presence during the anti-demolition protest, the House stated that, ‘as the crowd became increasingly unruly and attempts were made to force entry into the Assembly premises, security operatives acted strictly within their constitutional responsibility to secure lives, property, and critical government infrastructure’.
‘At no point did the Lagos State House of Assembly order the deployment of teargas, authorise arrests or direct any use of force against protesters.
‘The decision for Honourable Members to withdraw from the gate was taken on the advice of the Commissioner of Police to prevent physical confrontation and escalation’.
On the use of live ammunition and lawmakers’ complicity during the Makoko anti-demolition protest, the House explained that ‘the claim that lawmakers watched as police unleashed teargas and live ammunition is false, sensational, and unsupported.
‘No Honourable Member witnessed or sanctioned the use of live ammunition, and no credible evidence has been presented to substantiate such a grave allegation.
‘The Lagos State House of Assembly categorically dissociates itself from any attempt to falsely attribute security decisions to the legislature’.
On the Makoko demolition and legislative position, the House reiterated that issues relating to infrastructure safety, power-line setbacks, and demolitions fall under executive and regulatory authorities, stressing that the Assembly has consistently advocated dialogue, humane engagement, and lawful processes in addressing urban development challenges.
The House explained that ‘the assurances previously given during the 15 January engagement were not a blanket suspension directive, but a commitment to intervention through appropriate legislative channels, which cannot occur during recess without due process’.
