The groups slammed the Lagos State Police Command for the use of live ammunition, teargas, mass arrests and intimidation of the peaceful protesters and activists.
Two civil society groups, the Elegant Nurses Forum and the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR), have strongly condemned the violent police attack on peaceful anti-demolition and forced eviction protesters at the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The groups slammed the Lagos State Police Command for the use of live ammunition, teargas, mass arrests and intimidation of the peaceful protesters and activists.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, the Elegant Nurses Forum decried the action of police officers who fired teargas and live bullets at the unarmed protesters who had gathered peacefully to express opposition to demolitions and forced eviction in their communities.
The group strongly condemned the fact that several protesters have been hospitalised with breathing difficulties caused by heavy exposure to tear gas, while others sustained gunshot wounds and are currently receiving treatment, with some undergoing surgery.
The Forum described the incident as “deeply disturbing,” stressing that citizens exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest were met with what it called extreme and unjustifiable force.
The group expressed particular concern over the case of protesters who were shot in the legs, including a woman, and several peaceful demonstrators who were arrested during the crackdown and arraigned in court.
The Forum also raised the alarm over reports that, amid the chaos caused by gunfire and teargas, a child was separated from his mother and remains missing.
“As health professionals, we must highlight the serious medical consequences of these actions,” the Forum said, warning that tear gas exposure can trigger severe asthma attacks, respiratory distress, chest infections, eye injuries and long-term lung damage, especially among children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with pre-existing health conditions.
The group added that gunshot injuries often result in permanent disability, chronic pain, psychological trauma and loss of livelihood.
Beyond physical injuries, the Forum noted that violent crackdowns on protests have lasting psychological impacts, including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which can affect entire communities.
The Forum also criticised what it described as a misleading public statement issued by a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly after the incident.
According to the group, public communication following such events should focus on truth, accountability and the protection of lives, rather than dismissing victims’ experiences.
Placing the incident in a broader historical context, the Forum said many Nigerians see the shooting of protesters at the Lagos State House of Assembly as part of a troubling pattern of alleged human rights abuses in Lagos State.
It referenced the 2020 #EndSARS protests and the widely reported violence at the Lekki Toll Gate, the reported 2025 Oworonshoki incident in which deadly force was used during a community crisis.
The group said these incidents underscore the urgent need for independent investigations and justice for victims.
The Forum warned that repeated violence, forced displacement and disregard for citizens’ welfare had long-term public health consequences, including poverty, homelessness, malnutrition, infectious diseases, untreated chronic illnesses and worsening mental health outcomes.
“When people live in fear and instability, life expectancy drops and the overall health of the population declines,” the Forum said.
In a related statement, the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) also strongly condemned the police violent response to the protest and the ongoing demolition of poor communities across Lagos, including Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode Onirin and Otumara.
The group accused the Lagos State government of carrying out demolitions without providing alternative housing, livelihoods or adequate compensation, leading to the forced displacement of thousands of residents.
The CDWR blasted the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Jimoh Moshood, for personally supervising the police violent attack on the protesters with live ammunition and teargas.
The group further condemned the unlawful arrest, brutality and prosecution of activists Hassan Taiwo Soweto and Dele Frank.
The CDWR described charges against Soweto Frank as frivolous and trumped-up, including an allegation that they threatened members of the public who failed to join the protest.
It insisted that the protest was peaceful and that it was the police who blocked access to the road leading to the Lagos State House of Assembly before forcefully dispersing the demonstrators.
The group cited a previous Federal High Court judgment which held that the arrest and harassment of Soweto and other protesters during the October 20, 2024 #EndSARS memorial procession were unlawful, with damages awarded against the police.
The CDWR also criticised a statement attributed to the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which claimed that protesters rejected dialogue and insisted on forcible access to the Assembly complex.
The CDWR described the statement as misleading and accused the Assembly leadership of complicity in demolitions and repression of dissent.
The nurses forum and the CDWR demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all arrested protesters, the dropping of all charges against Soweto, Frank and others, and an end to what they described as the criminalisation of peaceful protest.
They also called for an urgent, independent and transparent investigation into the alleged use of live ammunition and excessive force by the police.
The groups further demanded immediate medical treatment, psychological support and compensation for injured protesters, swift action to locate the reportedly missing child and reunite them with their family, and clear directives to security agencies to respect citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and expression.
“Nurses are advocates for life, dignity and humanity. We cannot remain silent while citizens are injured, traumatised or silenced for speaking out,” the Elegant Nurses Forum said, adding that history would judge leaders by how they respond in moments of crisis.
The groups called on authorities to prioritise justice, accountability and the protection of human life over political considerations.