Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has raised concerns over the alleged use of expired teargas canisters by police during last week’s protest against illegal demolitions and forced evictions in Lagos’ Makoko waterfront area.
Falana spoke at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) while visiting protesters injured during the demonstration. He described the police action as unconstitutional, dangerous, and a violation of citizens’ right to peaceful assembly. According to him, in over 40 years of participating in protests across Nigeria, he had never witnessed injuries of such severity caused by teargas canisters.
One of the injured, Mrs. Kafayat Muftaudeen, sustained a severe leg injury. Burns and Plastic Nurse Adedeji Hassan said she was fit to go home but would continue treatment through regular wound dressing and weekly hospital visits before undergoing surgery.
Falana emphasised that the 1999 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, adding that protesters are only required to notify police, who are responsible for ensuring security. He noted that organisers complied with the law and that police escorted demonstrators peacefully from Ikeja Under Bridge to the Alausa Secretariat before the incident.
Meanwhile, Lagos State government defended the demolition of Makoko structures as necessary to protect lives and prevent disasters. Commissioners and special advisers highlighted that many wooden buildings were situated beneath high-tension power lines, posing serious risks. They also assured that displaced residents would be compensated, with enumeration processes underway and support from international partners like the UN.
The Lagos State House of Assembly has invited community leaders from Makoko and adjoining waterfront settlements to a meeting to address grievances related to the demolitions and evictions.
Civil society groups, including the Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR), condemned the police’s actions and called for independent investigations into past killings in affected communities, justice for victims, compensation, and protection of the constitutional right to peaceful protest.
