URGENT APPEAL FOR PRESIDENTIAL INTERVENTION OVER THE ALLEGED ABUSE, HUMILIATION AND FORCIBLE REMOVAL OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN LAGOS STATE_ BY IKECHUKWU FRANK.

IKECHUKWU FRANK

Mowe, Ogun State, Nigeria.

11 October 2026

His Excellency,

The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Aso Rock Presidential Villa

Abuja, Nigeria.

Your Excellency,

URGENT APPEAL FOR PRESIDENTIAL INTERVENTION OVER THE ALLEGED ABUSE, HUMILIATION AND FORCIBLE REMOVAL OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN LAGOS STATE

Subject: “Operation Flush Disabled People Out of Lagos—Take Them Back to the North”: A Call for Justice, Human Dignity and the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Your Excellency,

I write with a deeply troubled heart and a profound sense of responsibility as a Nigerian, a clergyman, a publisher, and a person living with a disability to call your urgent attention to disturbing allegations concerning the treatment of our fellow Nigerians with disabilities in Lagos State.

Reports circulating on social media indicate that, on 8 October 2026, persons with disabilities were allegedly subjected to abuse, humiliation and forceful handling during an operation reportedly intended to remove them from public spaces. Videos purportedly showing some of these incidents have also circulated online.

The reported suggestion that disabled persons should be removed from Lagos and taken back to the North raises serious concerns about human dignity, discrimination, freedom of movement and the equal citizenship of every Nigerian.

Your Excellency, I respectfully ask: When did disability become a crime in Nigeria? When did poverty become a justification for humiliation? When did the inability to walk become grounds for treating a fellow human being as though he or she were less than human?

Even when authorities have legitimate concerns about public spaces, security, sanitation or urban management, such concerns must be addressed lawfully, humanely and without discrimination. No person should be subjected to degrading treatment simply because of disability, poverty, homelessness or geographical origin.

THE HUMAN BEINGS BEHIND THE VIDEOS

Your Excellency, behind every disturbing video is a human being with a name, a history, a family, hopes and aspirations.

The person being dragged along the ground may be somebody's father, mother, brother, sister or child. The person being humiliated in public may have spent years struggling to survive in a society that has not provided adequate support, accessible infrastructure, inclusive employment opportunities or sufficient social protection.

Some persons with disabilities depend on public support, informal trading, begging or other means of survival. Their circumstances may be difficult, but hardship must never become a licence for abuse.

Imagine a Nigerian with a disability being dragged under a bridge or along the roadside by uniformed personnel, exposed to public ridicule while onlookers record the incident. Imagine the fear, helplessness and psychological pain such a person may experience.

If the circulating videos accurately represent what occurred, then this matter demands an urgent, independent and impartial investigation.

Persons with disabilities are not animals to be dragged. They are not unwanted objects to be discarded. They are Nigerian citizens entitled to dignity, protection and equal treatment under the law.

YOUR EXCELLENCY, WE ARE NIGERIANS TOO

I respectfully remind Your Excellency that persons with disabilities are an integral part of the Nigerian nation. We contribute to our communities, raise families, serve in religious institutions, pursue education, operate businesses and participate in national development.

Disability does not cancel citizenship.

Disability does not erase human dignity.

Disability does not remove the protection of the law.

Disability does not make a Nigerian less Nigerian than another citizen.

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria establishes fundamental protections for human dignity and freedom from discrimination. The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, also provides an important legal framework for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.

Nigeria must ensure that these protections are meaningful in practice, not merely words written in legal documents.

If the law protects our dignity, that protection must extend to the streets, markets, motor parks, bridges and every other public space where persons with disabilities live, work or seek assistance.

We should not have to beg for the humanity that the law already recognises.

A PRESIDENTIAL RESPONSIBILITY THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED

Your Excellency, as the President of our country, you occupy an office with a constitutional responsibility to uphold the Constitution and promote the welfare of the Nigerian people.

We therefore appeal to you not to allow these allegations to pass without a clear and compassionate response.

We respectfully request that you:

1. Order an urgent and independent investigation.

Direct the appropriate federal and Lagos State authorities to investigate the reported incidents of 8 October 2026, establish what happened, identify the agencies and personnel involved, and determine whether any laws or rights were violated.

2. Ensure accountability where wrongdoing is established.

If any security personnel or public officials are found to have abused, assaulted, intimidated or unlawfully humiliated persons with disabilities, ensure that appropriate disciplinary and legal procedures are followed.

No uniform should place anyone above the law.

3. Protect persons with disabilities from unlawful displacement and discrimination.

Ensure that any operation affecting persons with disabilities is conducted lawfully, with reasonable accommodation, accessible communication, appropriate assistance and respect for human dignity.

No Nigerian should be forcibly relocated merely because of disability or northern origin. Any proposed relocation must respect the person's rights, lawful procedures, individual circumstances and informed participation.

4. Direct the provision of immediate assistance to affected persons.

Where necessary, ensure access to medical attention, temporary accommodation, food, personal assistance, social welfare services and legal support for those affected by the reported operation.

5. Establish a transparent channel for complaints.

Provide a clear and accessible means through which persons with disabilities can report abuse by security agencies and other public authorities without fear of retaliation.

6. Strengthen disability-inclusive policies nationwide.

Work with the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the National Human Rights Commission, the Lagos State Government and organisations representing persons with disabilities to develop practical measures that protect vulnerable citizens while addressing legitimate public concerns.

7. Ensure that affected persons are treated with dignity in every future operation.

Direct relevant agencies to adopt disability-sensitive procedures, train personnel in the rights of persons with disabilities, and ensure that officers understand the difference between lawful enforcement and degrading treatment.

YOUR EXCELLENCY, PLEASE HEAR OUR CRY BEFORE IT BECOMES A NATIONAL OUTCRY

I write not to condemn an entire institution without investigation, nor to prejudge the conduct of every officer involved. I write because the allegations are serious, the images circulating have raised public concern, and the dignity of vulnerable Nigerians deserves urgent protection.

We cannot build a nation founded on justice while allowing the most vulnerable among us to live in fear of those entrusted with enforcing the law.

We cannot preach unity while citizens are made to feel that they do not belong in certain parts of their own country because of their geographical origin or physical condition.

We cannot celebrate national development while some of our citizens are allegedly being treated in ways that strip them of dignity.

Lagos belongs to Nigerians, and every Nigerian is entitled to the protection of the law in Lagos. The same principle applies to every other state in our federation.

A person with a disability from Northern Nigeria has the same fundamental human dignity as a person without a disability from Southern Nigeria. Neither geography nor physical condition should become a basis for discrimination.

Your Excellency, history will remember not only the policies a nation adopts but also how its leaders respond when vulnerable citizens cry out for help.

I pray that you will act swiftly, listen to the disability community, establish the truth and ensure justice where violations are proven.

As a Christian and a minister of the Gospel, I believe that every human life has value before God. Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 31:8–9 (KJV):

“Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”

Your Excellency, this is a moment to speak for those who may not have the influence, resources or physical strength to defend themselves.

We appeal to you to intervene before the pain and frustration of vulnerable Nigerians deepen into a greater national crisis. We pray that your administration will be remembered for protecting human dignity, defending the vulnerable and ensuring that justice is not reserved for the powerful.

May God grant you the wisdom and courage to act justly. May He guide our national leaders to protect the vulnerable and preserve peace in our country. And may Nigeria become a nation where no citizen is humiliated because of disability, poverty or origin.

Our prayer is for justice, not vengeance; accountability, not persecution; and dignity, not discrimination.

We are not asking for special treatment above other Nigerians. We are asking for equal protection under the law.

We are not asking to be placed above the law. We are asking that the law should never be used as an excuse to strip us of our humanity.

DISABILITY IS NOT INABILITY!

WE ARE DISABLED, NOT DISPOSABLE!

WE ARE NIGERIANS, AND OUR DIGNITY MUST BE PROTECTED!

May God bless persons with disabilities. May God bless Lagos State. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Yours faithfully,

©IKECHUKWU FRANK

Clergyman | Publisher | Disability Rights Advocate

Mowe, Ogun State, Nigeria.