The Lagos State Police Command has denied using tear gas against pensioners who protested in Alausa on Monday, saying a photograph circulating online that appears to show retirees being tear-gassed was generated using artificial intelligence.
The command said no tear-gas canister was fired during the protest by members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Lagos State Council.
The allegation gained attention after a photograph circulated on social media, prompting the police to issue a clarification on Tuesday, 1 September.
The Command said about 500 pensioners gathered at the Lagos State Governor's Office in Alausa, Ikeja, at about 08:30 on Monday.
The protesters were led by NUP Lagos State Chairman Michael Omishade and Nigeria Labour Congress chairperson Agnes Funmi Sesse, according to the police.
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What happened at the protest?
The pensioners were protesting at the Lagos State government complex before being addressed by the governor's Chief of Staff, Tayo Akinmade Ayinde.
The NUP executives later held an indoor meeting at the Governor's Conference Hall. Police said the meeting lasted about three hours.
According to the Command, the protesters left peacefully at about 16:30 and no adverse incident was recorded.
The police had deployed personnel from the Rapid Response Squad, Lagos State Taskforce, Eko Strike Force and nearby divisions to maintain security around the protest.
The operation was coordinated by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, the Command said.
Police reject viral photograph
The biggest point of dispute concerns an image shared online that purportedly shows security personnel using tear gas against the pensioners.
The police said the photograph was AI-generated and did not represent events at the protest venue.
“Not a single canister of tear gas was fired throughout the duration of the protest.”
The statement, signed by Lagos police spokesperson SP Abimbola Adebesi, did not provide technical details of the alleged AI generation or identify an independent forensic assessment used to establish that the image was artificial.
That distinction matters because simply saying an image is AI-generated does not, by itself, establish what happened at the protest.
A credible verification would ideally include the original image file, its metadata, reverse-image checks, technical analysis or other independently verifiable evidence.
Why the dispute matters
The disagreement comes against the background of recurring concerns over the policing of demonstrations in Nigeria.
The right to peaceful assembly is constitutionally protected, while the police have a responsibility to maintain public order and protect people during demonstrations.
That creates an important accountability question whenever allegations of excessive force emerge: what independent evidence exists to establish what happened?
In this case, the police have given a clear account of the protest but have not publicly presented the technical evidence behind their claim about the photograph.
The pensioners' account is also important. Their views, including whether anyone experienced irritation, breathing difficulties or other effects consistent with exposure to a chemical agent, would provide another perspective on the allegation.
What happens next?
The police urged members of the public not to create or share unverified material that could cause tension.
The Command also said Commissioner of Police Tijani Fatai remained committed to protecting peaceful assembly while maintaining public order.
However, the immediate issue is likely to remain the disputed photograph and the evidence supporting competing accounts of the protest.
If the image is indeed manipulated or AI-generated, identifying its source could help prevent further misinformation.
If independent evidence contradicts the police account, that evidence should also be made available for public scrutiny.
For now, the confirmed part of the police account is that pensioners staged a protest, met government officials and later dispersed peacefully.
The claim about the image requires evidence beyond the assertion that it was AI-generated.
