Protests at the National Assembly complex escalated again on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, as security operatives fired teargas to disperse demonstrators led by activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who were demanding the resignation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The protesters, numbering in their hundreds, gathered at the main gate of the National Assembly chanting “Tinubu Must Go,” “End Bad Governance,” and “No Transmission, No Sleep,” while continuing their sit-in with mattresses and pillows now in its second week.
Eyewitnesses and video footage show that as the crowd surged closer to the gate, police and security personnel deployed multiple rounds of teargas canisters, forcing protesters, journalists and bystanders to scatter in chaos. Several people were seen coughing, vomiting and receiving first aid from fellow demonstrators.
Omoyele Sowore, visibly affected by the teargas but defiant, addressed the crowd through a megaphone shortly after the dispersal attempt: “They can fire teargas, they can beat us, but they cannot silence the voice of the people. Tinubu must go! The suffering is too much. The hunger is real. The hardship is unbearable. We will not stop until this government listens or leaves.”
Sowore and other frontline protesters were briefly detained by security operatives but were later released after intervention by senior civil society leaders and journalists. No official arrest figures have been confirmed, but several demonstrators were seen being taken away in police vans.
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The protest has now become a focal point for broader discontent, drawing participation from students, labour activists, civil society groups and ordinary citizens.
Security & Police Response FCT Police Command deployed additional riot police and water cannons to the area. The command has warned that it will not tolerate any breach of peace or blocking of the assembly complex. No major injuries have been reported from the teargas incident, though many protesters complained of respiratory distress.
National Assembly Leadership: Yet to issue an official reaction to the renewed protest or the teargassing of demonstrators.
The sit-in, popularly called #MattressRevolution, continues as protesters vow to remain until their core demand for electronic transmission is met.
This is a developing story.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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