Lagos Police Deny Tear-Gassing Pensioners, Say Viral Photo Is AI-Generated

The Lagos State Police Command has denied reports that security operatives fired tear gas at protesting pensioners in Lagos, describing a viral photograph purportedly showing the incident as AI-generated.

The controversy followed a protest by members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Lagos State Council) on Monday, August 31, 2026, over outstanding pension adjustments, wage awards and other entitlements.

Police: No Tear Gas Was Fired

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Command's spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, the police said the allegation that pensioners were tear-gassed was "false and misleading."

The Command insisted that not a single canister of tear gas was fired during the protest.

According to the police, approximately 500 pensioners gathered at the Lagos State Governor's Office in Alausa, Ikeja, at about 8:30 a.m. The protesters were led by NUP Chairman Michael Omishade and Nigeria Labour Congress Chairperson Agnes Funmi Sesse.

The police said personnel from the Rapid Response Squad, Lagos State Taskforce, Eko Strike Force and nearby divisional headquarters were deployed to maintain law and order and protect the protesters.

The protesters were subsequently addressed by the Lagos State Governor's Chief of Staff, Tayo Akinmade Ayinde, before NUP executives proceeded to an indoor meeting at the Governor's Conference Hall.

The police said the meeting lasted about three hours and that the pensioners eventually dispersed peacefully at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Police Reject Viral Photograph

The Command also addressed a photograph circulating widely on social media which purportedly showed security personnel firing tear gas at the elderly protesters.

The police said the photograph was AI-generated and did not represent what happened at the protest venue.

Commissioner of Police CP Tijani Fatai urged members of the public to rely on information from credible and authorised sources and avoid creating or circulating manipulated images and unverified claims.

Conflicting Reports Over What Happened

The police denial comes after some media reports on Monday said police officers had used tear gas to disperse pensioners during the protest.

Premium Times, for instance, reported that police fired tear gas at pensioners protesting over unpaid pension increases, wage awards and other benefits.

This creates a significant discrepancy between accounts of the incident. While the Lagos Police Command maintains that no tear gas was fired, some media reports published the previous day reported that tear gas was used.

As of Tuesday, the police's claim that the circulating photograph is AI-generated does not by itself resolve every question about what happened at the protest; it specifically addresses the authenticity of that photograph.

Pensioners Demand Outstanding Benefits

The pensioners' protest was linked to longstanding demands for the implementation of pension adjustments and payment of outstanding wage awards and other benefits.

The dispute has attracted attention from the National Pension Commission (PenCom), which has intervened in the disagreement concerning pension increases for retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The latest development is therefore likely to keep attention focused on both the pensioners' demands and the conflicting accounts surrounding Monday's protest.