Residents displaced by ongoing demolitions in communities in Lagos State on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, staged a protest at the Lagos State House of Assembly complex.
The protesting residents included those of Makoko, Oworonshoki, Otumara, and Baba Ijora.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Stop the demolitions”, “Stop punishing the poor,” and “Our lives also matter”.
Speaking on behalf of protesters, Mr. Zikora Ibeh, Assistant Executive Director, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), accused the state government of embarking on demolitions without resettlement plans.
Ibeh also accused the state government of extending demolitions far beyond initial safety agreements, displacing thousands and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis.
The activist accused the police of arresting scores of protesters, including a youth leader, Hassan Taiwo (Soweto).
Ibeh said the protest was to demand an immediate halt to all evictions.
He said: “We are also demanding compensation for affected families, and enforcement of the agreed 100-metre setback from high-tension power lines in Makoko and other communities,” he said.
Ibeh condemned the alleged detention of some protesters by the police and firing of canisters of teargas to disperse the others.
He also alleged that lawmakers watched as protesters were dragged on the ground and maltreated by policemen at the complex.
“Those detained were allegedly dragged into the Assembly complex as police fired multiple canisters of teargas at the largely unarmed crowd, including women, who had gathered to seek dialogue with lawmakers.”
“Those detained were allegedly dragged into the Assembly complex as police fired multiple canisters of teargas at the largely unarmed crowd, including women, who had gathered to seek dialogue with lawmakers.
“Lawmakers watched as police unleashed teargas and live ammunition on unarmed protesters, including women, whose only crime was asking to speak to their representatives,” he said.
Reacting to the incident, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr. Stephen Ogundipe, said that at no point did the Lagos Assembly order the deployment of teargas, authorise arrests or direct any use of force against protesters.
Ogundipe, representing Oshodi-Isolo Constituency-01, said lawmakers withdrew from the gate when the protesters arrived and that the decision to withdraw from the gate was taken on the advice of the Commissioner of Police to prevent physical confrontation and escalation.
He clarified that the claim that “lawmakers watched as police unleashed teargas and live ammunition” was false, sensational, and unsupported.
According to him, no lawmaker witnessed or sanctioned the use of live ammunition, and no credible evidence has been presented to substantiate the allegation.
The chairman accused the protesters of flatly rejecting dialogue at the gate, insisting on gaining access into the Assembly complex.
Ogundipe said the action of the protesters was in clear violation of established security protocols governing legislative premises.
“Contrary to insinuations that lawmakers watched or ignored the situation, Ogundipe stated that the Lagos Assembly was officially on recess at the time of the incident.
“Notwithstanding this, upon receiving information about the gathering at the Assembly gate, I mobilised four other members who were present within the complex to engage the protesters in good faith,” he said.
Ogundipe said during the engagement, Hassan became openly confrontational and verbally abusive.
He alleged that he directed defamatory, and inflammatory language at lawmakers present and the Commissioner of Police, who was physically on ground solely to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
According to him, the activist went as far as publicly accusing the commissioner of murder and made allegations that are grave and reckless.
Ogundipe, however, said the Assembly remained committed to peaceful civic engagement, protection of democratic rights and orderly and respectful dialogue as the only sustainable path to conflict resolution.
The lawmaker said intimidation, verbal abuse, misinformation, and attempts to breach secured government facilities could not be justified under the guise of protest.
By Adekunle Williams