By Joke Kujenya
UPSET MAKOKO residents stormed the Lagos State Governor’s Office and the State House of Assembly (LSHA) in Alausa on Thursday, demanding an immediate halt to ongoing demolitions and compensation for families displaced in the waterfront settlement.
The protest drew some Lagos-based civil society groups including Just Empower, CEE-HOPE, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Education Rights Campaign (ERC).
Demonstrators described the action as peaceful and urged activists, socialists, trade unionists, NGO advocates, and members of the public to join them to amplify what they called the voices of poor people facing displacement.
They also called on the Nigerian Police Force to respect the right to protest.
Earlier on Thursday, protesters had blocked part of the road at the LSHA to resist what they described as the state government’s ongoing demolition of buildings in Makoko.
The demonstrators were led by CAPPA activists and community leaders, who accused the LASG of violating agreements reached with residents and carrying out demolitions beyond approved safety setbacks from power lines.
They carried placards with messages including “Please hear our cry, limit demolition to 100 metres,” “Save our homes, lives and the Makoko community,” and “They deceived our illiterate Baales,” while chanting solidarity songs.
Zikora Ibeh, Assistant Executive Director of CAPPA, alleged that since January 5, security operatives and demolition teams had violently displaced residents, including women and children.
“The Lagos State Government has entered Makoko community and violently displaced people from their ancestral homes,” Ibeh said. “Women, children, fathers and families have been tear gassed out of their homes and rendered homeless without shelter, water or alternatives.”
She described the demolitions as a deliberate attempt to remove poor residents from prime waterfront locations for elite interests and said the government had failed to provide basic relief.
Ibeh further alleged that deaths had occurred during the exercise, including babies and women, and called for an immediate investigation.
“We are here to ask the governor why these demolitions have continued despite the deaths recorded in the community,” she said.
“We want the demolitions halted immediately, compensation paid to affected families, and investigations opened into the use of force.”
Ibeh added that residents had initially agreed to demolitions within 30 metres of power lines, later adjusted to 50 metres and then 100 metres, but alleged that demolitions had extended beyond those limits.
“As we speak, demolitions are still ongoing in the community,” she said. “The government has violated its own agreements, local laws and international standards.”
Ojo Jide, a community leader and member of Slum Dwellers International, described the demolitions as chaotic and lacking documentation.
“There is no profiling, no data capturing, no house numbering,” he said. “How do you compensate people or resettle them when there is no record of what you have destroyed?”
Resident Phineas Kojah said the demolitions contradicted assurances given by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“The governor promised us that demolitions would be limited to 100 metres from the power lines and that we would not be evicted from Makoko,” Kojah said.
A representative of the Lagos State House of Assembly received a letter from the protesters on behalf of the governor, assuring them that their demands would be communicated for necessary action. The protest was ongoing at the time of reporting.
