Residents and community leaders staged a protest in Lagos on Wednesday over ongoing demolitions in waterfront and low-income areas, including Makoko, Owode Onirin and Oworonshoki.
The demonstration took place at the Ikeja Under-Bridge, where displaced residents and activists gathered to speak out against what they described as forced evictions carried out without proper notice, compensation or resettlement plans. The protest drew the attention of commuters and motorists along the busy Ikeja route.
Protesters carried banners and placards with messages such as “Stop Forced Evictions Now,” “Makoko Lives Matter,” “Demolition Without Resettlement Is Injustice,” “Urban Renewal, Not Urban Removal,” “Homes Not Rubble,” and “Housing Is a Human Right.” Others read “Where Do You Want the Poor to Go?” “Lagos Is for All, Not the Rich Alone,” “Respect Court Orders,” and “Development Without Displacement.”
Some demonstrators held photographs showing destroyed homes and displaced families. Others displayed images of children and elderly residents whom they said were affected by the demolitions.
The crowd chanted solidarity songs and slogans while calling on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to immediately stop further demolitions and open discussions with affected communities. Chants included “No Justice, No Peace,” “Makoko Is Not a Slum,” and “Consult the People.”
Activists who spoke to journalists described the demolitions as inhumane and said they violate existing court rulings that restrain forced evictions in waterfront communities. They claimed many residents were left homeless overnight, with some families forced to sleep in canoes, under bridges and in open spaces after their houses were pulled down.
According to the protesters, communities like Makoko, Owode Onirin and Oworonshoki have existed for decades and should be improved through proper urban planning rather than being destroyed.
The demonstrators said they would continue their protests until the government meets their demands, which include an immediate halt to demolitions, emergency relief for displaced residents, fair compensation and humane resettlement plans.
