Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has condemned the police for firing teargas at demonstrators protesting alleged illegal demolitions and forced evictions in the Makoko waterfront area of Lagos.

Falana described the police response as unconstitutional, reckless and a grave violation of the rights to life, dignity and peaceful assembly guaranteed under Nigerian law.

The protest, led by activists Hassan Taiwo, popularly known as Soweto, and Dele Frank, was organised to draw the attention of the Lagos State Government to what they termed unlawful demolitions and mass evictions in waterfront communities, which have displaced residents and destroyed livelihoods.

Witnesses said the march, which began peacefully, descended into chaos when police officers fired teargas at close range, dispersing the crowd and injuring several protesters. Rights groups and civil society organisations have since criticised the security agencies for excessive use of force.

Falana visited some of the injured protesters at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where he was briefed by medical personnel on the severity of their wounds. A burns and plastic nurse, Adedeji Hassan, explained that one victim, Kafayat Muftaudeen, suffered a serious leg injury and would require prolonged treatment, including regular wound dressing, weekly hospital visits and eventual skin grafting.

According to Hassan, Muftaudeen was being discharged with medication and would be monitored by a medical professional living near her home. Another injured protester had already been discharged.

Falana expressed shock at the extent of the injuries, noting that the damage appeared far more severe than what is typically associated with crowd-control devices. He suggested that expired or improperly handled teargas canisters might have been used, after observing that one canister reportedly pierced a protester’s skin.

Reaffirming the constitutional right to protest, Falana cited the Court of Appeal decision in All Nigeria Peoples Party v. Inspector-General of Police, which held that Nigerians do not require police permits to hold demonstrations. He stressed that under the Police Act, organisers are only required to notify the police, who are then duty-bound to provide security, not to attack demonstrators.

Falana added that the organisers had duly informed the police and were escorted from Ikeja Under Bridge to the Alausa Secretariat, but the situation changed when no government official came out to receive a letter addressed to the governor. He said officers turned on the crowd after protesters sang songs the police considered offensive.

He insisted that singing critical or even vulgar songs does not constitute a criminal offence, and reminded public officials that the courts have repeatedly held that they must tolerate criticism in a democratic society. He urged security agencies to learn from the incident and to respect citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and expression.