The protesters alleged that the demolition exercise in Makoko had displaced families, destroyed livelihoods, and resulted in deaths, including infants and elderly residents.
Civil society organisations and residents of Makoko, a densely populated waterfront community beneath the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State, staged a protest on Thursday at the Governor's Office and House of Assembly in Alausa, demanding an immediate halt to ongoing demolitions and compensation for displaced families.
The demonstrators, led by activists from Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and local community leaders, accused the Lagos State Government of violating earlier agreements and extending demolitions beyond approved safety setbacks from power lines.
The protesters, carrying placards reading "Save our homes, lives and the Makoko community" and "Please hear our cry, limit demolition to 100 metres", alleged that the demolition exercise had displaced families, destroyed livelihoods, and resulted in deaths, including infants and elderly residents.
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Speaking during the protest in Alausa, CAPPA's Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said security operatives and demolition teams had violently evicted residents since 5 January.
"The Lagos State Government has entered the Makoko community and forcibly displaced people from their ancestral homes," Ms Ibeh said.
"Women, children, fathers, and families have been tear-gassed and rendered homeless without shelter, water, or alternatives. We want the demolitions halted immediately, compensation paid, and investigations opened into the use of force."
Ms Ibeh described the demolitions as a deliberate attempt to remove low-income residents from prime waterfront areas for elite interests, noting that the government had failed to provide basic relief for affected families.
Dispute over setbacks
Residents said the demolitions violated agreements limiting clearance near high-tension power lines. Initially restricted to 30 metres, the government reportedly expanded the area to 50 metres, then 100 metres.
Protesters claimed that demolition had extended far beyond the agreed limits.
Community leader and member of Slum Dwellers International, Ojo Jide, said the demolitions lacked proper documentation, making compensation or resettlement impossible.
"There is no profiling, no data capturing, no house numbering. How do you compensate people or resettle them when there is no record of what you have destroyed?" Mr Jide said.
He criticised the timing of the demolitions, which continued through the Christmas and New Year holidays, saying they disregarded residents' human rights.
Another resident who spoke on the sidelines, Phineas Kojah, said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had personally assured residents in November 2025 that demolitions would be limited to 100 metres from power lines.
"He gave us his word, and we agreed. But the demolition has gone far beyond that distance, leaving people homeless and exposed," Mr Kojah said.
Protest at the Lagos State House of Assembly
Later, residents marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa, blocking sections of the main road.
Police negotiators engaged the crowd, and a compromise allowed protesters to occupy half the road while traffic flowed on the other half.
Stephen Olukayode, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, met the demonstrators, assuring them that their grievances would be communicated to the governor.
"The Assembly was unaware of any breach of agreements between the Lagos State Government and the Makoko community," he said, urging dialogue between authorities and residents.
Also speaking in Alausa, civil society leaders, including Nnimmo Bassey of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), drew parallels between government actions in Makoko and the displacement of northern communities by bandits.
"In the North, bandits displace communities. In Lagos, the government is displacing communities using the same methods," Mr Bassey said.
According to protest organisers, at least three people--including two infants and an elderly woman--died due to tear gas deployed by security forces, though authorities have not independently confirmed these fatalities.
CAPPA and allied groups, including the Centre for Children's Health Education, Orientation, and Protection (CEE-HOPE), reported that more than 3,000 homes had been destroyed, displacing over 10,000 people. Schools, clinics, and churches in Makoko were also pulled down.
A youth leader, Oluwatobi Aide (aka Woli), was arrested on Monday after appealing to demolition officials to allow residents to retrieve belongings. However, he was released from detention on Wednesday.
CAPPA said he had been hospitalised following teargas exposure, and his health reportedly deteriorated in police custody.
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Humanitarian concerns
PREMIUM TIMES had reported the demolitions have disrupted schooling and stripped women of privacy, residents say. At Ayetoro School, attendance dropped to 16 pupils out of more than 300, while Adekunle School recorded only 25 students out of over 1,000. Many children now live on boats with no stable place to sleep or study.
Women in the community face dire conditions, lacking privacy for bathing, sleeping, and managing menstrual hygiene.
Families have been forced to live under debris for weeks, exposed to unsanitary and unsafe environments.
Residents and civil society leaders called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and President Bola Tinubu to intervene urgently, warning that the situation could escalate into a full-blown humanitarian crisis if left unaddressed.
Background
The demolition began on 23 December 2025, to clear a 30-metre safety corridor from a high-tension power line that runs between Makoko, Oko Agbon, Sogunro, and the Third Mainland Bridge.
Residents initially cooperated after assurances of limited clearance and compensation. By 4 January, demolition had extended beyond 100 metres, prompting mass protests and police intervention with teargas.
