DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Police deny teargassing Lagos pensioners, say viral image AI-generated

From The Punch · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • Lagos police denied firing tear gas during a pensioners’ protest at the state House of Assembly on August 31.
  • The command called a circulating photograph allegedly showing the incident AI-generated and said about 500 pensioners attended the protest.
  • The pensioners are expected to meet Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over unpaid pension adjustments and wage awards.

Lagos police denied using tear gas against pensioners during a protest and said a photograph circulating on social media was generated by artificial intelligence.

The protest took place on August 31 at the Lagos State Governor’s Office and House of Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja. The pensioners were seeking outstanding pension adjustments, consequential increases and wage awards that they say remain unpaid.

Police spokesperson Abimbola Adebisi said the command deployed officers from several divisions to maintain law and order. She rejected reports that officers dispersed the demonstration with tear gas, saying, “not a single canister of tear gas was fired throughout the duration of the protest.”

false and misleading

— Abimbola AdebisiThe Lagos police spokesperson described allegations that pensioners were tear-gassed in those terms.

The command said approximately 500 members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners’ Lagos council attended the demonstration. They were led by union chairman Michael Omishade and Nigeria Labour Congress chairperson Agnes Funmi Sesse.

The dispute between retired Lagos public servants and the state government is expected to be discussed in a meeting with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu later in the week. The meeting would allow the retirees to present their demands directly, according to the account.

not a single canister of tear gas was fired throughout the duration of the protest.

— Abimbola AdebisiThe police spokesperson categorically denied the use of tear gas.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog