A displaced resident of the Makoko waterfront community in Lagos State, Jide Ojo, has alleged that at least six people have died following what he described as inhuman and illegal demolition exercises carried out in the area.
Ojo, who spoke on Saturday during an interview on Arise Television, said the demolitions had left residents traumatized, shocked, and homeless.
According to him, government officials initially engaged the community in discussions about regeneration, upgrading, and development, only for the process to suddenly turn into unexpected demolitions.
He accused the Lagos State Government of disregarding due process and ignoring existing court judgments that ordered a halt to the demolition exercise.
“The experience was not pleasant at all. It was very traumatic and horrible,” Ojo said. “We had situations where the government was discussing regeneration and development with community members, but suddenly it turned into demolition—unexpected demolition.”
Ojo explained that the law requires authorities to issue a contravention notice, followed by a quit notice and then a demolition order from a court before any structure can be pulled down.
“In this case, the process was not followed,” he alleged. “Most of these communities have valid judgments from courts of competent jurisdiction, including the Lagos State High Court, stopping the demolitions.”
He further claimed that the demolitions have resulted in multiple deaths, with some victims dying instantly and others succumbing later due to trauma linked to the evictions.
“There was a lady who reportedly died after inhaling intense tear gas smoke,” Ojo said. “About six people are currently in the mortuary, allegedly killed as a result of the illegal and forceful eviction from communities like Makoko.”
Ojo described the situation as unfortunate and called for accountability over what he termed the unlawful handling of the demolition exercise.
