The crisis at King’s College, Lagos, has deepened after the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria accused the police and members of the King’s College Old Boys Association of invading the school and assaulting workers and parents.
ASCSN alleged that the police operation, which it said was led by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, involved the forceful opening of the school gates, gunshots fired into the air, physical assaults on civil servants and the arrest of a child of a protesting parent.
The union said the incident occurred amid ongoing discussions involving the Federal Ministry of Education, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and ASCSN over the proposed concession of the historic institution.
In a statement, ASCSN National President and General-Secretary, Shehu Mohammed and Joshua Apebo, respectively, condemned what they described as an alleged violent invasion of the school.
According to the union, the incident occurred at about 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, when armed policemen allegedly stormed the school premises and used a generating set to force open the padlocked gates.
ASCSN further alleged that gunshots were fired into the air during the operation, while some civil servants were assaulted and several workers sustained injuries.
The union also alleged that a child of a protesting parent was arrested during the incident.
ASCSN claimed the operation was carried out to grant KCOBA access to the school for a press engagement, describing the development as an escalation of the dispute over the proposed concession.
The union said the incident was particularly concerning because it occurred less than 24 hours after a meeting involving the Minister of Education, TUC and ASCSN to discuss the concession proposal.
“At the very moment when dialogue and lawful processes were underway, state security forces were deployed to sabotage trust, undermine negotiations, and intimidate workers,” the union alleged.
ASCSN also accused KCOBA of using the police to intimidate civil servants who, according to the union, were exercising their right to oppose what it described as the proposed commercialisation of the institution.
The union called on the Inspector-General of Police to withdraw police personnel from the school, arguing that the police should not be used to interfere in the dispute.
ASCSN said the incident had further damaged its confidence in KCOBA’s engagement with labour and could affect the implementation of agreements reached between the Federal Ministry of Education, TUC and the union.
The union commended its members and parents who participated in the protest, saying it remained committed to defending public education and the rights of its members.
It warned that continued use of force instead of dialogue would lead to further lawful action by its members.
The allegations by ASCSN could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report.