By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
VIOLENT CONFRONTATIONS erupted at the Lagos State House of Assembly (LHA) as Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) condemned what it described as the violent, unlawful and deeply reprehensible actions of the Lagos State Government (LASG) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) against hundreds of peaceful victims of illegal demolitions, assault and killings.
JKNewsMedia.com reports said security operatives led by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood, allegedly attacked hundreds of displaced residents who had gathered at the Assembly complex on Wednesday afternoon to express grievances over ongoing demolitions and forced evictions across waterfronts and low-income communities in the state.
The organisation demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Hassan Taiwo Soweto, a member of the #EndBadGovernance Movement in Lagos State, alongside other demonstrators arrested during the protest.
It said Soweto and several peaceful protesters, including Comrade Jacob Akiri and Evangelist Isaac Doosuga, a septuagenarian from Makoko, were forcibly seized after the Commissioner of Police ordered the use of tear gas on the crowd.
CAPPA described the incident as a flagrant violation of constitutional rights and a continuation of what it called the Babajide Sanwo Olu led administration’s pattern of repression, lawlessness and cruelty against poor and displaced communities.
It said the actions of state authorities showed a disregard for human dignity, the rule of law and democratic norms.
The organisation added that the behaviour by the state had reportedly led to the deaths of 12 persons in Makoko, including a five-day old baby, as well as many others across demolished communities.
Speaking on events at the Assembly, CAPPA said the protest was entirely peaceful.
Displaced residents, including elderly men and women whose homes and livelihoods had been destroyed, marched for hours from Ikeja Under Bridge to the State House of Assembly to formally present grievances to lawmakers.
“Unfortunately, lawmakers who briefly came out to address the protesters, including Hon. Ogundipe Stephen Olukayode, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, refused to allow the protesters access to the Assembly premises or the amphitheatre, a public civic space meant for citizen engagement.
Exhausted protesters, including elderly persons, were denied seats and even the most basic courtesies,” the statement said.
Despite the refusal, the protesters remained calm and orderly and sat outside under the hot sun, CAPPA stated, adding that the situation escalated only after security agents deployed tear gas and force without provocation.
Police officers fired tear gas canisters directly at unarmed protesters, triggering injuries and panic, the organisation said.
It reported that Kafayat Muftaudeen was struck on the leg by a canister and remained hospitalised with surgery being considered, while journalist Oluwaferanmi Oladipupo of Daily Family was severely affected by tear gas exposure and placed on oxygen.
Jennifer Rita Obiora, a medical professional and member of the #EndBadGovernance Lagos State chapter, was also brutalised and rushed to hospital.
Several protesters reported the forceful seizure and theft of personal belongings and work tools by police officers, which CAPPA described as unacceptable, criminal and dangerous to press freedom and civic space.
Responding to claims by the Lagos State House of Assembly that unruly behaviour by Soweto escalated the situation, the organisation dismissed the assertion as false and misleading, stating that video recordings showed him urging protesters to remain peaceful and sit calmly outside the complex.
CAPPA said the Commissioner of Police appeared to have taken personal offence at Soweto’s criticism of the use of force.
It stated that the action against him was deliberate and targeted, alleging that the Commissioner advised some protesters to disassociate from him, forcibly seized him and deployed tear gas, leaving several protesters disoriented.
In a statement signed by Robert Egbe, Media and Communications Officer, CAPPA rejected claims that the Assembly had earlier committed to intervene in demolitions during a January 15 engagement, saying demolitions continued and some lawmakers later told residents there was no possibility of definitive intervention because the land had been sold off and advised them to prepare for eviction within five years.
The organisation said the latest incident demonstrated the Lagos State Government’s insensitivity and the active role of the Commissioner of Police in aggravating the suffering of displaced residents, adding that the conduct of the police leadership showed vindictiveness and a lack of restraint.
Quoting Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA said the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful protest were guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and protected under international human rights law. He said there was no legal, moral or political justification for the use of tear gas or force against unarmed citizens and journalists exercising their rights.
CAPPA demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detained protesters and called on the Lagos State Government to immediately suspend the Commissioner of Police over what it described as his central role in destabilising a peaceful protest, ordering force against unarmed citizens and falsely claiming that no protester was injured.
It further demanded the immediate return of all personal belongings, work tools and electronic devices allegedly seized or stolen from protesters and journalists, including a music van with speakers, personal handbags and other property.
The organisation also called for the immediate suspension of all demolition and forced eviction operations across Lagos State, independent investigations into reported killings in Makoko, Owode, Oworonshoki and other communities, and accountability for the use of force.
It urged the Nigerian Police Force to end what it described as routine violence against peaceful demonstrators, Lagosians and journalists, and asked the Speaker and members of the Assembly to engage affected communities in good faith rather than endorsing or enabling state violence.
CAPPA warned it would mobilise civil society, affected communities and the wider public if its demands were not met.
