Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Olohundare, has denied reports that police officers shot at protesters demonstrating against the demolition of waterfront communities on Wednesday.
Speaking on Channels Television’s *Sunrise Daily* on Thursday, Olohundare insisted no firearms were discharged during the protest at the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa.
“No gun was fired throughout the entire process of the protests yesterday,” the police commissioner stated. “What we used was the minimum force of using teargas to disperse them.”
His statement came in response to widespread social media outrage and a circulating photograph showing an injured protester being assisted, with claims he was shot in the leg by police. Some reports also alleged arrests were made.
Olohundare explained that police were deployed early to provide security and prevent the protest from being hijacked. “We moved in on time at Ikeja Under Bridge to provide security for them so that hoodlums and miscreants won’t go in,” he said, adding that intelligence indicated some individuals in the crowd were carrying dangerous weapons.
He said the situation escalated when unidentified groups joined the protesters, blocked Awolowo Way, and chanted war songs, causing severe traffic disruption and risking public safety.
“People were trapped in traffic, people who have medical conditions. We had reports of people who fainted in their cars and they were rushed for medical help,” Olohundare said.
While affirming the right to protest, he stressed the police’s commitment to protecting peaceful demonstrations. “Protest is good. We know protest is freedom of expression and part of the essentials of democracy,” he said. “For every protest that happens in Lagos, we have police to protect it in a peaceful way. So no gun was fired.”
The protesters, from communities including Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode-Onirin and Oko Baba, were demanding proper resettlement plans and compensation following the demolition of their homes.
