Community leaders and displaced residents on Wednesday staged a protest at the Ikeja Under-Bridge area of Lagos over ongoing demolitions and alleged forced evictions in waterfront and low-income communities, including Makoko, Owode Onirin and Oworonshoki.
The protesters accused the Lagos State Government of carrying out the demolitions without adequate notice, compensation or resettlement arrangements for affected residents.
Our correspondent observed that the demonstrators occupied strategic sections of the under-bridge, momentarily drawing the attention of commuters and motorists along the busy Ikeja axis.
They carried banners and placards bearing inscriptions 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.”
Other placards 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 of the protesters displayed photographs of demolished structures and displaced families, while others held placards depicting children and elderly persons allegedly affected by the exercise.
Chanting solidarity songs and slogans, the demonstrators called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to suspend further demolitions and open dialogue with the affected communities.
Popular chants included “No Justice, No Peace,” “Makoko Is Not a Slum,” and “Consult the People.”
Speaking to journalists at the scene, some activists described the demolitions as inhumane and contrary to existing court orders restraining forced evictions in waterfront communities.
They alleged that several residents were rendered homeless overnight, with some families forced to sleep in canoes, under bridges and in open spaces following the destruction of their homes.
The protesters argued that communities such as Makoko, Owode Onirin and Oworonshoki have existed for decades and should be upgraded through inclusive urban planning rather than demolished.
They vowed to sustain the protest until the government meets their demands, including the suspension of demolitions, payment of compensation, provision of relief materials and the implementation of humane resettlement policies for displaced residents.