Controversy surrounding the demolition of structures in Makoko and other Lagos communities intensified on Wednesday as residents staged a protest against the Lagos State Government, accusing it of land grabbing, forceful eviction, and displacement.
The peaceful demonstration, however, turned chaotic when police fired teargas to disperse the crowd, leading to panic as protesters ran in different directions. Several protesters reportedly sustained injuries in the process.
A community leader who participated in the protest, Jude Ojo, alleged that police officers went beyond teargas and fired live ammunition at demonstrators.
According to him, an unidentified protester was shot in the leg and rushed to the hospital—an allegation strongly denied by the Lagos State Police Command.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Ojo insisted that the protesters posed no threat to security.
“We were not carrying guns or sticks; we are harmless, and your policemen were around. Why are you afraid?” he asked.
Ojo said the protesters resorted to sitting peacefully after being denied access to present their grievances.
“We said that if you were not going to attend to us or allow us to come in, we would sit down until you were ready to give us attention. The next thing we experienced was gunshots and teargas,” he said, adding that the injured protester should be visible on camera footage.
He expressed disappointment with the state government, describing the incident as inconsistent with democratic principles.
“These are the people we voted for — is this the democracy we yearned for? It was a very big disappointment,” Ojo said.
Responding to the allegations, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, denied that officers fired live ammunition at the protesters.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Jimoh said only the minimum force of teargas was used to disperse the crowd.
“No gun was fired. I was there. I was appealing to them to remain peaceful, but they continued to hurl abuses at me,” he said.
Jimoh explained that the police had contacted the Lagos State House of Assembly leadership, who sent five lawmakers—despite being on recess—to intervene.
“Their aim was to enter the House of Assembly and cause mayhem, which we will not allow,” he stated.
On the claim of a gunshot injury, the police commissioner suggested that injuries may have occurred while protesters were fleeing teargas.
“To our records, nobody reported a gunshot injury to us during the operation,” Jimoh said, adding that an alleged bullet wound later inspected by an area commander was found not to be caused by a firearm.
While affirming citizens’ rights to protest and freedom of expression, Jimoh described the protesters as an “unknown group” chanting war songs, insisting that public safety must be maintained.
