Human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, has accused police operatives of using expired tear gas canisters on protesters during last week’s demonstration against alleged illegal demolitions and forced evictions in the Makoko waterfront area of Lagos.
Falana raised the allegation on Monday while visiting protesters injured during the incident at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), describing the police action as unconstitutional, dangerous and a violation of citizens’ right to peaceful assembly.
The protest, organised by activists Hassan Taiwo, popularly known as Soweto, and Dele Frank, was aimed at drawing the attention of the Lagos State government to alleged unlawful demolitions in Makoko and other adjoining waterfront communities.
Although the demonstration was initially peaceful, it reportedly turned violent after police operatives fired tear gas at close range. Several protesters sustained injuries, an action that has since drawn condemnation from human rights groups and civil society organisations.
During his visit to LASUTH, Falana was briefed on the condition of one of the injured protesters, Mrs Kafayat Muftaudeen, by a Burns and Plastic Nurse, Mr Adedeji Hassan.
Hassan said Mrs Muftaudeen, who sustained a severe leg injury, was being discharged but would continue treatment through regular wound dressing and weekly hospital visits before undergoing surgery.
“She is fit to go home and will be coming to the hospital weekly for dressing,” Hassan said, adding that she would later undergo skin grafting once the wound had healed.
Reacting to the injuries he observed, Falana described them as unusual and alarming, noting that in over 40 years of participating in protests across the country, he had never seen tear gas canisters cause such severe injuries.
“In my over 40 years of participating in protests across the country, I have never seen tear gas canisters cause such severe injuries. The injury I have seen is not normal,” he said.
The senior lawyer stressed that the 1999 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, adding that Nigerians do not require police permits to protest.
According to him, the Police Establishment Act only requires protest organisers to notify the police, who are then duty-bound to provide security.
He added that the organisers complied with the law, noting that police officers escorted the protesters peacefully from Ikeja Under Bridge to the Alausa Secretariat before the situation escalated.
Lagos Govt Reacts
Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has defended the demolition of structures in parts of Makoko, saying the exercise was aimed at protecting lives and preventing potential disasters in the area.
At a joint ministerial press briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, alongside the Governor’s Special Adviser on E-GIS and Urban Development, Dr Babatunde Olajide, and the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Gboyega Akosile, said the state had a responsibility to safeguard residents, provided such actions did not infringe on the rights of others.
Omotoso disclosed that many of the wooden buildings erected on the waterfront were located directly beneath high-tension power cables, posing serious risks to occupants.
He said the decision to clear the affected structures was taken in the interest of public safety and to preserve the dignity of residents living in hazardous conditions.
In a related development, the Lagos State House of Assembly has invited stakeholders and leaders of Makoko and adjoining waterfront communities to a meeting scheduled for Tuesday