Falana Fumes at LASUTH After Seeing Protesters’ Mangled Limbs, Claims Police Used ‘Expired’ Tear Gas

Renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has issued a stinging rebuke to the Lagos State Police Command after visiting victims of the recent Makoko protest currently fighting for their lives at LASUTH.

Standing by the hospital bed of Kafayat Muftaudeen a woman whose leg was nearly ripped apart by a tear gas canister a visibly shaken Falana described the injuries as “unusual and barbaric.” According to medical staff, the damage is so deep that the victim will need extensive skin grafting surgery just to walk again.

“I have been on the streets protesting for 40 years,” Falana told reporters at the hospital on Monday. “I have seen tear gas used many times, but I have never seen a canister pierce human flesh to this level. This suggests that either the police used expired chemicals or they fired high-velocity projectiles directly at people at point-blank range.”

The victims were among the hundreds of Makoko residents who marched to the State House of Assembly last Wednesday to beg for a halt to the demolition of their ancestral homes. The protest turned into a scene of “blood and smoke” when police moved in to disperse the crowd. While the police insist they only used “standard” tear gas to prevent a breach of the peace, the scars in the hospital wards tell a much darker story.

Falana didn’t stop at the injuries. He slammed the police for treating protesters like criminals for simply singing songs of grievances. “Singing abusive songs is not a criminal offense in Nigeria,” he noted. “The Constitution gives these people the right to be angry when their homes are being pulled down.”

As the Lagos State House of Assembly prepares to meet with Makoko community leaders this Tuesday, Falana has hinted at a massive legal battle, vowing to ensure that the victims of what he calls “police high-handedness” get justice and compensation for their suffering.