Nigeria, Feb. 2 -- Leaving home that Wednesday morning to cover a protest in Lagos, it never occurred to me that I could go so close to losing my life. Yet that was exactly what happened.

On 28 January, a Wednesday, I joined residents of waterfront communities as they marched from Ikeja Underbridge through Awolowo Road to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa. They were protesting demolitions and forced evictions that have displaced families and entire communities.

The rally went ahead even though the Lagos State Police Command had rejected the notification. From the start, officers maintained a heavy presence, trailing the protesters and, as I would soon find out, watching journalists like me.

Organised by the Coalition Against ...