By Ogeyi Ebinyi
The Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) on Monday held a press conference in Lagos to dispute the police account of the Commissioner of Police’s visit to Owode Market and to condemn what it described as the criminalisation of protests against alleged illegal demolitions across the state.
Addressing journalists, CHSR President, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, said the organisation had documented cases of human rights violations arising from protests against demolitions at Owode Onirin and other parts of Lagos. He alleged that six people were killed during protests on 27 August 2025 and accused security agencies of subjecting traders and protesters to inhuman treatment. Omotehinse also cited the use of tear gas at the Lagos State House of Assembly complex in Alausa, which he said affected protesters, journalists and civil society members. According to him, a baby reportedly died during the incident, while a nursing mother sustained injuries and is currently receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.
He criticised the conduct of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Moshood Jimoh, describing it as intolerant and lacking in leadership restraint. “One of our key demands is the removal of the Commissioner of Police because of his temperamental disposition and inability to tolerate dissent,” Omotehinse said. He announced that CHSR would hold another press conference at Owode Market by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, to further engage the public on the matter.
Also speaking, Comrade Funmilayo Ajayi of the Community Women Initiative (CWI) rejected what she described as a misleading narrative by the police that protesters were hired individuals. She stressed that women had borne the brunt of the demolitions, losing both their homes and sources of livelihood. Visibly emotional, Ajayi said, “I stand with women. No woman, no nation. An injury to one is an injury to all.” She called on the Lagos State Government to dialogue with affected communities and provide compensation, noting that the first casualty of the tear-gas incident at Alausa was a woman who remains hospitalised at LASUTH.
In his remarks, Comrade Ibrahim Oluwatobiloba of the Voice of the Masses and Support for Credible Leadership (VMSCL) accused the police of deliberately obstructing the protest. He claimed he personally encountered the Commissioner of Police near the Ikeja underbridge and questioned him about the alleged rejection of a protest notification letter submitted to his office. According to Oluwatobiloba, the CP denied being in his office at the time, which he said was intended to prevent the protest from holding. He further alleged that lawmakers were not absolved of responsibility, insisting that discussions had taken place prior to the use of tear gas at Alausa.
“Our demand that day was simple — to be allowed to address the public from the podium of the Lagos State House of Assembly,” Oluwatobiloba said, adding that civil society groups at the briefing jointly called for CP Moshood Jimoh to step aside in the interest of public accountability.
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