LAGOS, Nigeria — A coalition of civil society groups is demanding an independent investigation into the Aug. 31 tear-gassing of elderly pensioners who had gathered outside the Lagos State House of Assembly, after Lagos police denied the incident took place and the state government said it was never ordered.
What happened Aug. 31
Members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners assembled at the Assembly gate that day after a 19-day ultimatum they had issued over unpaid pension increases, wage awards and other entitlements expired without the state meeting their demands. Video that circulated afterward showed police officers firing tear gas into the crowd, scattering retirees who organizers say had served the state for three decades or more.
The protesters did not disperse. According to reporting from Lagos outlets in the days after the incident, the pensioners instead vowed to occupy the Alausa Government House indefinitely until the state resolves their outstanding payments — turning a single disrupted protest into an ongoing standoff.
Conflicting accounts from the state
The state’s response has been inconsistent. Lagos Police Commissioner Fatai Tijani said footage of the incident circulating online was AI-generated, disputing that police used tear gas on the protesters at all. Separately, Chief of Staff to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Tayo Ayinde, took a different position: he said the governor had not personally ordered police to disperse the pensioners and that Sanwo-Olu “apologised over the alleged misunderstanding” — an acknowledgment that something happened, even as he denied the governor directed it.
Civil society groups have seized on that contradiction. “That means there was tear-gassing on that day,” said Ibrahim Oluwatobiloba of Voice of the Masses and Support for Credible Leadership, arguing that the Chief of Staff’s apology undercuts the police commissioner’s denial. “So the question we should be asking is who ordered them to be tear-gassed.”
Civil society groups demand a probe
At a Wednesday press conference in Ijaye, a coalition led by the Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) called for a formal investigation into both the state government and the police command. CHSR President Alex Omotehinse described the response as part of a pattern, noting his own organization was tear-gassed during a separate January protest by demolition victims. “We have observed that under this constitutional government, it has already become a norm that every protest will be attacked, assaulted and dismembered,” he said.
Omotehinse emphasized the protesters’ age and service record: “These aged men and women, they are not activists. They are not motorists. They are aged people that have served Lagos State for about 85 per cent of their lifetime — 32, 33, 35 years in service.” He drew a contrast with benefits available to former governors, who he said receive three new vehicles every three years, while pensioners “do not demand cars” and are not entitled to any. He called on Tijani to investigate the circulating footage and prosecute anyone who fabricated it, if the commissioner’s AI-generated claim is accurate.
Other coalition members echoed the demand for accountability. Community Women Initiative Coordinator Funmilayo Ajayi questioned why police treat political rallies differently than protests by ordinary citizens, describing the pensioners as “armless mothers and fathers” whose only tools were placards and songs. Committee for the Defence of Human Rights National Publicity Secretary Adewunmi Adesina called the alleged use of force “wicked” and “inhumane,” arguing police should protect peaceful protesters rather than disperse them. Oluwatobiloba, for his part, called on Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu to caution the Lagos command, alleging it has overseen three major tear-gassing incidents against protesters.
Where things stand
No one has been charged in connection with the incident, and the allegations against police personnel remain unproven — Commissioner Tijani’s position is that no tear-gassing occurred at all. The civil society coalition wants authorities to determine who authorized any use of force and hold them accountable, while the pensioners’ core demand — payment of pensions, gratuities and other entitlements owed after decades of service — remains unresolved. Their occupation of the Governor’s office compound was reported to be continuing as of early September.
NewsLeash will update this story if Lagos State, the police command or the Nigeria Union of Pensioners announce further developments.
Sources: The Punch, Sahara Reporters, Centre for Africa-China Policy and Advisory (CAPPA Africa), Leadership.ng.
