Lagos Police Deny Firing Tear Gas at Protesting Pensioners, Expose Viral Photo as AI Fabrication

The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed widespread reports alleging that security operatives fired tear gas at elderly retirees protesting over unpaid pension benefits, revealing that the viral image circulating on social media was created using artificial intelligence (AI).

The clarification follows online outrage triggered by a widely shared photograph that appeared to show protesting senior citizens choking in plumes of tear gas outside the government secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja.

Setting the record straight in a statement issued by Command Public Relations Officer SP Abimbola Adebisi, the police described the narrative as completely untrue and misleading. The command explained that about 500 members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), alongside Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) leaders, staged a peaceful walk to the Lagos State Governor’s Office to present demands regarding their welfare and outstanding entitlements.

According to security authorities, tactical teams—including personnel from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Lagos State Taskforce, Eko Strike Force, and local divisions—were deployed under the coordination of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) solely to protect the demonstration and maintain public order.

Rather than facing hostility, the demonstrators were formally received by the Chief of Staff to the Lagos State Governor, Tayo Akinmade Ayinde, after which union executives were ushered into the Governor’s Conference Hall for an extensive three-hour meeting. The police noted that following the discussions, the pensioners dispersed peacefully without any clash, injury, or disruption of public peace.

Addressing the viral image, the police confirmed that digital forensic assessments showed the picture was artificially generated to distort what happened on the ground.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, reiterated that while law enforcement fully respects the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful assembly and free expression, the public must exercise caution online. He warned against creating and amplifying unverified claims or manipulated visual content capable of stoking public tension and eroding trust in public institutions.