Nigeria Police officers on Wednesday, January 28, reportedly opened fire and teargassed residents protesting ongoing evictions and demolitions in parts of Lagos State.
The protesters, many of whom said they had lost homes and businesses to recent demolition exercises in locations including Makoko and Oworonshoki had marched to the State House of Assembly Complex to demand legislative intervention and a halt to further evictions.
Tensions escalated shortly after the crowd converged on the complex, with police shooting and teargassing journalists and protesters.
It was not immediately clear whether there were arrests, but viral videos published by Punch and other media organisations showed injured persons running for cover as clouds of tear gas fired by police officers enveloped the area.
Some protesters were seen coughing and seeking refuge in safe places.
Premium Times also reported that the police, in their bid to disperse the crowd, opened fire on the protesters and journalists covering the demonstration.
In the aftermath of the incident, several people sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Several videos recorded before the incident showed that the protest was peaceful, with aggrieved residents calling on Lagos authorities to resolve the crisis and heed their demands.
The Lagos State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement at the time of filing this report, and efforts to reach the command’s spokesperson proved abortive as of press time.
The ICIR reports that the protest followed demolition exercises carried out in Makoko in recent weeks, which residents said were conducted without due process or resettlement plans.
While the government said the exercise was part of a wider plan to redevelop waterfront areas and increase revenue from coastal assets, affected residents have accused authorities of ignoring court orders and calls for dialogue.
Makoko has long been a flashpoint for forced evictions and government-led demolitions, a pattern that stretches back to over a decade, with its first encounter in April 2005, followed by July 2012, when armed police dismantled parts of the stilt community after a 72-hour notice.
Reacting to the demolition, Human Rights and Environmental Justice organisation said armed security personnel, demolition teams and “armed thugs” have repeatedly invaded Makoko since January 5, 2026, pulling down homes, setting some structures ablaze, and firing tear gas at residents, including women, children and elderly persons. It said at least three people, including two infants, have died in connection with the demolitions.
Trends
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s incident adds to a growing list of protests since 2024 that have been met with police use of tear gas and force across the country.
In Lagos, past protests over housing, cost-of-living, and governance issues have frequently drawn heavy police presence, and attacks on peaceful protesters.
Although there is no official central record tracking every instance of tear gas use nationwide, reports by media organisations and rights groups show a recurring pattern of police crowd control involving the use of tear gas, arrests and, in some cases, live ammunition.
At the fourth anniversary memorial of the 2020 #EndSARS protests, police dispersed peaceful participants at the Lekki Tollgate with tear gas.
The ICIR reports that during nationwide protests against rising living costs and governance failures tagged #EndBadGovernance# in 2024, police deployed tear gas across several cities, including Abuja, Kano, Lagos and other state capitals.
Amnesty International reported that at least 24 protesters were killed during the crackdown, with many others injured or suffocated by tear gas, and more than 1,200 detained.
Also, in the Federal Capital Territory, police fired tear gas to disperse protesters demanding improved good governance and accountability from authorities. The police officers also teargassed and fired bullets at journalists covering the protest.
In October 2025, the Nigerian police fired tear gas near the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja as protesters gathered to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
Similarly in December 2025, police teargassed members of the Coalition of Indigenous FCT Contractors who were protesting an alleged unpaid debt of N5.2 billion owed them by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M