A human rights group, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has condemned the reported use of tear gas and excessive force against elderly pensioners who peacefully assembled at the Lagos State Government Secretariat and House of Assembly complex, Alausa, Ikeja, on Monday, 31 August 2026, to demand payment of outstanding pension adjustments, wage awards and other entitlements.
In a statement signed by RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, multiple media reports state that police officers deployed to the protest fired tear gas, causing some of the elderly protesters to disperse.
Nwanguma pointed out that the Lagos State Police Command has subsequently denied that its personnel fired tear gas at the pensioners. “This conflicting account makes an immediate, transparent and credible investigation imperative,” he noted.
“RULAAC aligns with the concerns expressed by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, who has called on the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Disu, to ensure that the officers responsible, if established by investigation, are identified and held accountable.
“Peaceful protest is not a crime. It is a constitutionally protected means by which citizens express grievances and demand accountability from those who exercise public authority.
“Sections 39 and 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and association. The Court of Appeal in Inspector-General of Police v. All Nigeria Peoples Party & Ors affirmed that Nigerians do not require police permission before exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
“The Police Act 2020 equally envisages a police institution whose responsibility during peaceful assemblies is to protect citizens, maintain public safety and facilitate the lawful exercise of constitutional rights – not suppress them.
“If investigations confirm that tear gas was deliberately deployed against peaceful elderly protesters who posed no threat to public safety, such conduct would represent an unacceptable and disproportionate use of force and a serious departure from the professional and human-rights standards expected of the Nigeria Police Force,” he went on.
“It is particularly disturbing that elderly citizens who devoted their productive years to public service could allegedly be subjected to force merely for demanding benefits they believe are legitimately owed to them.
“Police officers should also remember that they too will retire someday. The struggle of today’s pensioners for timely payment, dignity and decent treatment is ultimately a struggle that concerns every serving public officer, including members of the Nigeria Police Force.
“RULAAC therefore calls on the Inspector-General of Police to order an immediate investigation into the incident, including examination of available video recordings, photographs, eyewitness accounts and police operational records. The investigation should establish who commanded the police deployment, what instructions were issued, whether tear gas or other force was used, who authorised its use and whether the circumstances met the legal requirements of necessity and proportionality.
“Where individual officers or commanders are found to have acted unlawfully, appropriate disciplinary and, where warranted, criminal proceedings should follow.
“We also call on the Lagos State Government to urgently engage the pensioners in good faith and address their legitimate grievances concerning outstanding pension adjustments, wage awards and other retirement benefits. Elderly citizens who have served the state deserve dignity, dialogue and justice – not intimidation.
This incident also provides another important test of the commitment of the current police leadership to transform policing from a culture of coercion and impunity to one founded on service, restraint, professionalism and accountability.
“The Inspector-General of Police should ensure that the truth of what happened at Alausa is established publicly and that accountability follows wherever wrongdoing is established,” the statement urged.
