The Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday denied allegations that its officers fired live ammunition at protesters demonstrating against the demolition of their homes, saying no gunshots were discharged during the protest.
Police said injuries sustained by some demonstrators, including one case widely shared on social media, resulted from teargas and the ensuing chaos, not from bullets.
Protesters from Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode-Onirin and Oko Baba marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa, calling for compensation, proper resettlement plans and justice for residents who reportedly died during previous demolition exercises.
They carried placards reading, “A megacity cannot be built on the bones and blood of the poor” and “Justice for Owode-Onirin traders,” highlighting what they described as the human cost of urban development in Lagos.
Tensions rose after the demonstrators were denied entry into the assembly complex, according to reports. Police deployed teargas to disperse the crowd, affecting several people, including journalists and a nursing mother.
One protester suffered a leg injury that circulated widely online, fueling speculation that the person had been shot. However, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Olohundare, told Channels Television on Thursday that no firearms were discharged.
“No gun was fired. I was there. “I was appealing to them to remain peaceful, but they continued to hurl abuses at me. As a police officer, I am trained to work under this kind of pressure, so I did not react,” he said, maintaining that the police had attempted to resolve the situation without confrontation.
“We spoke with the leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly, who promptly sent five honourable members to appeal to them. Still, it fell on deaf ears because their aim was to enter the House of Assembly and cause mayhem, which we will not allow,”
Olohundare added. Addressing the widely shared claims of gunshot wounds by the injured protester, he said the area commander inspected the injury and determined it was not caused by a firearm. According to him, teargas was the primary method employed to manage the demonstration and multiple warnings were issued that force would be used if the crowd refused to disperse.
“When teargas are fired, people run to leave the scene. It is during that process that some may sustain injuries. To our records, nobody reported a gunshot injury to us during the operation,” the CP explained. The protest comes amid ongoing disputes over urban redevelopment projects in Lagos, which have often sparked public outcry over relocation processes, compensation, and the welfare of affected residents.
It also comes days after hundreds of wooden homes in Makoko, Africa’s largest floating slum, were flattened as armed police and excavators tore through the community, displacing thousands of residents. Activists and community leaders continue to press for structured engagement with authorities to prevent future clashes and ensure residents’ rights are protected.