Two prominent civil society groups, the Elegant Nurses Forum and the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR), have vehemently condemned the violent actions of the police against peaceful anti-demolition and forced eviction protesters at the Lagos State House of Assembly. The groups specifically criticized the Lagos State Police Command for using live ammunition, teargas, mass arrests, and intimidation against activists and demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights.

In a press statement, the Elegant Nurses Forum detailed how police officers fired teargas and live bullets at unarmed protesters. This resulted in several individuals being hospitalized with severe breathing difficulties from tear gas exposure, while others sustained gunshot wounds, some requiring surgery.

The Forum described the incident as "deeply disturbing" and an "extreme and unjustifiable force" against citizens. They highlighted cases of protesters shot in the legs, including a woman, and the mass arrests and arraignment of peaceful demonstrators. A significant concern raised was the reported separation of a child from their mother amidst the chaos, with the child still missing.

As health professionals, the Elegant Nurses Forum underscored the serious medical consequences of such actions. They warned that tear gas exposure can trigger severe asthma attacks, respiratory distress, chest infections, eye injuries, and long-term lung damage, particularly for vulnerable groups like children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions. Gunshot injuries, they noted, often lead to permanent disability, chronic pain, psychological trauma, and loss of livelihood.

Beyond physical harm, the Forum emphasized the lasting psychological impacts of violent crackdowns, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, affecting entire communities.

The Forum also criticized a misleading public statement from a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, stressing that official communication should prioritize truth, accountability, and life protection. Placing the incident in historical context, the Forum connected it to a pattern of alleged human rights abuses in Lagos, referencing the 2020 #EndSARS protests at Lekki Toll Gate and the 2025 Oworonshoki incident. They warned that repeated violence, forced displacement, and disregard for welfare lead to public health crises, including poverty, homelessness, malnutrition, and worsening mental health outcomes, ultimately reducing life expectancy and overall population health.

Concurrently, the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) strongly condemned the police response and the ongoing demolition of poor communities across Lagos, including Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode Onirin, and Otumara. The CDWR accused the Lagos State government of carrying out demolitions without providing alternative housing, livelihoods, or adequate compensation, causing the forced displacement of thousands.

They specifically condemned the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, for personally supervising the violent attack. The group also denounced the unlawful arrest, brutality, and prosecution of activists Hassan Taiwo Soweto and Dele Frank, describing the charges against them as "frivolous and trumped-up," including an allegation of threatening the public to join the protest. The CDWR maintained that the protest was peaceful and that police blocked access to the Assembly before dispersing demonstrators. They cited a Federal High Court judgment affirming the unlawfulness of previous arrests and harassment of Soweto and other #EndSARS memorial protesters.

Both groups also criticized a statement from the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which claimed protesters rejected dialogue. The CDWR called this misleading and accused the Assembly leadership of complicity in demolitions and repressing dissent.

Following their arrest during the protest, Taiwo Hassan, known as Soweto, and Dele Frank were arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court in Yaba and granted bail of N200,000 each with two sureties. They face charges including conspiracy to commit a felony, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, obstruction of traffic, threatening the public, and singing abusive songs against the police and government. After his release, Soweto alleged police brutality, claiming he was blindfolded and beaten. He, however, vowed that the agitation would continue until the demands for an immediate halt to demolitions and adequate compensation for victims in areas like Makoko and Oworonshoki were met.

Other human rights activists echoed these condemnations. Comrade Alex Omotehinse, President of the Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights, described the arrests as excessive force and accused the Commissioner of Police of partisanship, promising continued protests. Comrade Ibrahim Oluwatobilola of Voice of the Masses warned that suppressing peaceful protests undermines democracy and called on authorities to respect citizens' rights and address grievances.

The Elegant Nurses Forum and the CDWR jointly demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all arrested protesters, the dropping of all charges against Soweto, Frank, and others, and an end to the "criminalisation of peaceful protest." They called for an urgent, independent, and transparent investigation into the alleged use of live ammunition and excessive force, alongside immediate medical treatment, psychological support, and compensation for injured protesters.

They also pressed for swift action to locate and reunite the missing child with their family and for clear directives to security agencies to respect citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and expression. The Elegant Nurses Forum concluded by stating, "Nurses are advocates for life, dignity and humanity. We cannot remain silent while citizens are injured, traumatised or silenced for speaking out."