Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The #EndBadGovernance Movement and civil society groups have issued a direct and unflinching demand to the Lagos State Government, calling for the immediate removal of Commissioner of Police Tijani Fatai and the prosecution of officers involved in the alleged tear-gassing of elderly pensioners protesting at the Lagos State Government House in Alausa on Monday, August 31, 2026. The groups described the incident as an “unpardonable assault” on senior citizens who were demanding the payment of pension increases, wage awards, arrears and other outstanding entitlements from the state government. In separate statements issued on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the #EndBadGovernance Movement, Lagos State Chapter, and the Voice of the Masses and Support for Credible Leadership (VMSCL) condemned the police action and demanded accountability for the personnel involved.
The #EndBadGovernance Movement specifically called for the immediate removal of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, and the arrest and prosecution of officers who participated in the alleged assault. “We declare our solidarity with Lagos State pensioners and call on the Lagos State Government to immediately issue an unreserved public apology to them over this unprovoked and inexcusable assault,” the group said in a statement signed by Oloye Adegboyega-Adeniji and Hassan Taiwo Soweto. The group also urged the state government to immediately resolve all outstanding issues concerning pension increases, wage awards, arrears and other entitlements owed to the retirees.
According to the group, the use of teargas against elderly pensioners was unacceptable, particularly as they were exercising their right to demand legitimate benefits after decades of public service. “It is outrageous that elderly Nigerians who spent decades working and serving the state could be met with such violence simply for demanding what is rightfully theirs,” the group said. “These are not criminals. They are retirees demanding the payment of their entitlements in the face of a brutal cost-of-living crisis”. The group accused the Lagos State Police Command of violating citizens’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, arguing that the police were obligated to protect peaceful protesters rather than disperse them with force.
The pensioners had gathered at the Lagos State Government Secretariat and the House of Assembly complex to press for outstanding pension adjustments and wage awards before the police intervention dispersed the protest. The demonstration, organized by the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) and retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), took place following the expiration of a 19-day ultimatum given to the state government to resolve their grievances. The pensioners had earlier issued August 31 as a deadline for the payment of their outstanding pension enhancements and wage awards.
The use of tear gas to disperse the protesters heightened tension at the scene, with the retirees expressing displeasure over what they described as the use of force against them while demanding their entitlements. One of the pensioners said that after 35 years of active service, the state government had paid retirees from Grade Levels 1 to 6 but left those who retired at higher levels with adjusted arrears. He alleged that the government was delaying the payment of the outstanding entitlements until another administration, despite the hardship being faced by current pensioners. “This is a state that prides itself as the Centre of Excellence, but it is now becoming a centre of abuse,” the pensioner said.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, described the police action as unlawful and asked the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to identify and prosecute the officers involved. In a statement on Monday, the senior lawyer stressed that the pensioners were exercising their right to peaceful assembly and protest. He referred to the 2008 Court of Appeal decision in Inspector-General of Police v All Nigerian People’s Party affirming the right of Nigerians to organise rallies and demonstrations without obtaining a police permit. He also cited Section 4 of the Nigeria Police Force Establishment Act 2020, which he said requires the police officer responsible for an area where a rally, meeting or procession is taking place to deploy personnel to provide security.
“The violent disruption of the peaceful rally of pensioners at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State, is a complete violation of the rights of the protesters to assemble and protest against the failure of the Lagos State Government to pay their pension as and when due,” Falana noted. He described the police action as a breach of Section 83(4) of the Police Establishment Act. “We call on the Inspector-General of Police to arrest and prosecute the police officers who violently disrupted the peaceful rally and thereby inflicted intentional physical bodily injury on the protesters without any legal justification whatsoever,” he said.
Activist and AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore also condemned the incident, stating that it was unacceptable for elderly people who had spent years working for the government to be met with tear gas when demanding their entitlements. “It is bad enough that these senior citizens are being denied their legitimate post-retirement entitlements after giving years of their lives in service. To then unleash tear gas on them for peacefully demanding what is rightfully theirs is cruel, reckless, and completely unacceptable,” he said. Sowore called for the officers involved to be identified, arrested and investigated. “Our pensioners deserve their entitlements, dignity, and respect, not brutality!” he said.
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights also condemned the reported use of tear gas and force against pensioners, stating that it was morally wrong to treat vulnerable senior citizens with brutality simply because they are demanding the benefits they earned. The #EndBadGovernance Movement further alleged that Monday’s incident was part of a “consistent pattern” of attacks on civil liberties in Lagos. It compared the alleged teargassing of the pensioners with the police response to the January 28 anti-eviction protest in Alausa, where protesters had gathered against the alleged forced eviction and demolition of working-class communities. According to the group, police officers also deployed teargas and excessive force during that demonstration, leading to arrests and injuries, while protesters’ equipment and personal belongings were allegedly seized.
However, the Lagos State Police Command has dismissed reports that members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners were tear-gassed during the protest, describing a viral photograph purportedly showing the incident as AI-generated. In a statement issued by its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, on Tuesday, the Command said no tear gas was fired throughout the duration of the protest. According to the police, about 500 members of the NUP staged a peaceful protest at the Lagos State Governor’s Office at about 8:30am on Monday. The Command said the protesters were subsequently addressed by the Chief of Staff to the Lagos State Governor, following which the executives of the NUP proceeded to an indoor meeting that lasted for about three hours.
“Not a single canister of tear gas was fired throughout the duration of the protest,” the Command stated. It added that the area remained calm throughout the protest, with no adverse incident recorded. The police, however, expressed concern over the circulation of a photograph purportedly showing security personnel tear-gassing the protesting pensioners, describing it as “AI-generated”. The Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and expression but stressed that such activities must remain peaceful, orderly and within the ambit of the law.
The pensioners, however, have vowed to occupy the Alausa Government House indefinitely until the state government meets their demands. The protesters said the use of tear gas had forced them to abandon their initial plan for a peaceful demonstration and resolve to remain at the government premises until their grievances were addressed. Chairman of the National Union of Pensioners under Contributory Pension Scheme (NUPCPS), Lagos State Council, Michael Omisande, said the union had formally warned the governor to credit pensioners’ accounts with the outstanding payments. “We warned the government, but they tear-gassed us. The protest is now indefinite until our demands are met,” he said.
The Lagos State Government and the police had not issued a statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report. However, Falana and Sowore's condemnation, alongside the demands of the #EndBadGovernance Movement, have intensified scrutiny of the Lagos State Police Command's conduct. The groups' call for the sack of CP Tijani Fatai and the prosecution of the officers involved has added to the pressure on the Lagos State Government to address the grievances of the pensioners and ensure accountability for the alleged police brutality. As one pensioner put it, “This is a state that prides itself as the Centre of Excellence, but it is now becoming a centre of abuse”.
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