Community leaders and displaced residents on Wednesday converged on the Ikeja Under-Bridge area of Lagos to demonstrate the ongoing demolitions , further alleging forced evictions in waterfront and low-income communities, including Makoko, Owode Onirin and Oworonshoki.
The demonstrators claimed that the Lagos State Government had carried out demolitions without providing the impacted citizens with sufficient notice, compensation, or preparations for resettlement.
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According to reports, commuters and drivers travelling down the crowded Ikeja axis were drawn to the protesters’ careful placement of portions of the under-bridge.
They were seen carrying banners and placards with bold 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.”
While some demonstrators brandished posters with pictures of children and elderly people purportedly impacted by the demolitions, others displayed photos of destroyed homes and uprooted families.
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The demonstrators continuously urged Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to stop additional demolitions and have conversations with the impacted communities while chanting songs and chants of support. “No Justice, No Peace,” “Makoko Is Not a Slum,” and “Consult the People” were among the well-known slogans.
Some of the campaigners told reporters on the scene that the demolitions were cruel and went against court orders prohibiting forced evictions in seaside neighbourhoods.
They claimed that once their homes were demolished, many locals were left homeless overnight and that families were compelled to sleep in canoes, under bridges, and in public areas.
The demonstrators contend that neighbourhoods like Makoko, Owode Onirin, and Oworonshoki should be improved through appropriate urban planning rather than demolished because they have existed for many years.
The demonstrators pledged to keep up their protests until the government complies with their requests, which include stopping demolitions, providing emergency supplies, paying compensation, and putting in place compassionate resettlement procedures for impacted locals.
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