CSOs Challenge Lagos Police Denial, Demand Probe Into Pensioners’ Tear-Gassing

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Coalition accuses police of cover-up, urges Gov Sanwo-Olu to pay retirees’ outstanding entitlements

Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi

A coalition of civil society organisations in Lagos has demanded an independent investigation into the alleged tear-gassing of protesting pensioners, accusing the Lagos State Police Command of attempting to cover up the incident.

The coalition also called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to immediately pay outstanding pension arrears and other entitlements owed to retired workers, insisting that pensioners should not be subjected to intimidation or police brutality for demanding their legitimate benefits.

The groups, comprising Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA); #EndBadGovernance Movement, Lagos State; Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA); Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Lagos State; Joint Action Front (JAF); Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR); Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC); and Centre for Human & Socio-economic Rights (CHSR), made the demands in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The statement followed the Lagos Police Command’s denial that tear gas was fired at members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners during their August 31 protest at the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The Police Command had described reports of tear-gassing as false and misleading, insisting that no tear-gas canister was fired during the protest and claiming that a widely circulated photograph of the alleged incident was AI-generated.

But the CSOs rejected the explanation, saying eyewitness accounts and reports from pensioners pointed to the use of tear gas during the demonstration.

They specifically cited the account of the Deputy Chairman of the Nigerian Pensioners Practitioners of Lagos State, Mr. Latif Salau, who reportedly said a senior police officer apologised to the protesters after the alleged attack and offered them sachet water and biscuits.

The coalition questioned why an apology would have been made if no tear-gassing occurred.

It also demanded that the Police Service Commission investigate the conduct of the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, saying any deliberate misrepresentation of facts, if established, should attract appropriate disciplinary measures.

The groups described the alleged use of force against elderly pensioners as unacceptable, arguing that the retirees posed no threat and were merely demanding payment of their outstanding entitlements.

They warned that repeated confrontations between security agencies and peaceful protesters in Lagos pointed to a wider concern over the protection of citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly.

The CSOs referenced previous protests, including demonstrations over demolitions and forced evictions, as well as the #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance protests, arguing that lessons from previous crises must be applied to prevent further clashes between citizens and security forces.

They called on the Inspector-General of Police to review the policing of protests in Lagos and retrain officers on the rights of peaceful protesters, de-escalation, proportionality and the appropriate use of force.

The coalition further demanded disciplinary action against any officer found to have authorised or used unlawful force against the pensioners.

On the pension dispute, the groups urged the Lagos State Government to stop treating pension payments as an act of goodwill, stressing that the benefits were earned by retirees who spent their working years serving the state.

According to the coalition, pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme are demanding 57 months of arrears from the 2019 consequential adjustment, 12 months of arrears arising from the 20 and 28 per cent increases approved in 2024, as well as the N32,000 wage award effective from January 2024.

Those under the Contributory Pension Scheme, it added, are seeking unpaid increases dating back to 2010, subsequent adjustments and the N32,000 wage award.

The CSOs also questioned why the pension obligations remained unresolved despite increased federal allocations to Lagos State.

They cited published figures showing that Lagos received N365.78 billion in FAAC disbursements in the first half of 2026, representing a 54.39 per cent increase from N236.92 billion received during the corresponding period of 2025.

The coalition therefore demanded that Governor Sanwo-Olu meet directly with the pensioners, condemn any police assault, pay undisputed arrears and publish a clear, time-bound plan for settling outstanding obligations.

It also urged the National Pension Commission and other relevant agencies to intervene in the dispute.

The groups maintained that pensioners have a constitutional right to peaceful assembly and expression and should be treated with dignity.

“This has become one too many. We demand accountability, justice, and above all, that Nigeria’s elderly citizens be treated with the dignity they have earned,” the coalition said.

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