Officers of the Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday morning fired teargas canisters to disperse peaceful demonstrators gathered in Lagos State for a nationwide protest organized by the Take It Back Movement.
​The demonstration, organized to protest economic hardship and government policies, began around 7:30 AM at the popular Ikeja Underbridge before demonstrators attempted to march toward the Lagos State House of Assembly complex in Alausa. Security personnel mounted heavy barricades at key junctions, including the Lekki Tollgate and the approaches to the state secretariat.
​Tension escalated shortly after 9:15 AM when police officers deployed teargas canisters into the crowd at Ikeja Underbridge and along the Alausa axis to block protesters from advancing further. Panic ensued as demonstrators fled the fumes, though movement leaders attempted to keep the crowd orderly.
​Both sides presented differing accounts of the morning’s events following the dispersal; Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, stated that security forces deployed teargas as a preemptive measure to maintain public order and prevent the gathering from being hijacked by hoodlums. ​
“The police acted professionally to prevent a total breakdown of law and order and to clear traffic corridors. No live ammunition was fired, and zero casualties were recorded,” Hundeyin stated during a press briefing.
​”The police acted professionally to prevent a total breakdown of law and order and to clear traffic corridors. No live ammunition was fired, and zero casualties were recorded,” Hundeyin stated during a press briefing.
National Coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, condemned the crackdown, maintaining that the demonstration was entirely peaceful. ​”Our members gathered peacefully to exercise their fundamental rights. Firing teargas at law-abiding citizens exercising their constitutional rights to protest bad governance is an unacceptable act of high-handedness,” Sanyaolu said.
​”Our members gathered peacefully to exercise their fundamental rights. Firing teargas at law-abiding citizens exercising their constitutional rights to protest bad governance is an unacceptable act of high-handedness,” Sanyaolu said.
​As of Wednesday afternoon, heavy security presence remains posted at strategic points across Lagos State, including Ikeja, Lekki Tollgate, and Ojota, to prevent regrouping, while organizers insist the demonstrations will continue.
