Lagos Pensioners Protest: Police Deny Tear Gas Claims
Police say the Lagos pensioners protest ended peacefully as retirees demanded payment of outstanding pension adjustments and wage awards.
The Lagos pensioners protest in Alausa ended peacefully, according to police, who rejected claims that officers fired tear gas at retirees.
The Lagos State Police Command said no tear gas was used by security personnel during the demonstration on Monday, 31 August 2026.
The statement came after reports and images circulated on social media alleging that pensioners had been tear-gassed during the protest. The claims also led human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, to call for action against any officers found to have used tear gas on the retirees.
The protest followed a long-running dispute between retired Lagos public servants and the state government over unpaid pension adjustments, consequential increases and outstanding wage awards.
The pensioners gathered at the Lagos State Government Secretariat and the Lagos State House of Assembly complex to demand payment of what they described as their outstanding entitlements.
According to the police, about 500 pensioners took part in the demonstration, which began at around 8:30am at the Governor’s Office in Alausa, Ikeja.
Abimbola Adebisi, spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, said the protesters were led by Michael Omishade, chairman of the Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), alongside Agnes Funmi Sesse, chairperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
Police personnel from the Rapid Response Squad, Lagos State Task Force, Eko Strike Force and various police divisions were deployed to maintain security and prevent any breakdown of law and order.
The security operation was reportedly coordinated by the Deputy Commissioner of Police overseeing the Department of Operations.
After the protesters arrived, Tayo Akinmade Ayinde, Chief of Staff to the Lagos State Governor, addressed them. NUP executives later moved into the Governor’s Conference Hall for a meeting.
The meeting lasted about three hours before the pensioners left the area at around 4:30pm.
The police said the retirees dispersed peacefully and that no major incident occurred during the Lagos pensioners protest.
“The command wishes to state unequivocally that the allegation is false and misleading. Not a single canister of tear gas was fired throughout the duration of the protest”, Adebisi said.
The police denial comes as the pensioners continue to press for the payment of their outstanding entitlements from the Lagos State Government. The dispute has kept pension adjustments, consequential increases and wage awards at the centre of their demands.
Do you think the Lagos State Government should urgently resolve the pensioners’ outstanding payment demands?
