By Elizabeth Osayande & Ifunanya Ndigwe
The pain of Makoko’s demolitions was laid bare on Thursday as rights groups and community leaders said a pregnant woman bled to death after she was prevented from reaching a hospital during an ongoing demolition exercise in the community.
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The incident was listed among several deaths, losses and displacements recorded as the Lagos State Government carried out demolitions across Makoko and other underserved communities in the state.
Meanwhile, rights groups including the Justice and Empowerment Initiatives (JEI), Spaces for Change, the Coalition of Oworonshoki Demolition Victims, CEE-HOPE, CAPPA including victims Makoko Waterfront Community, and community leaders condemned the demolitions, among other stakeholders, in a signed statement themed: “Systemic, Illegal, Cruel and Deceitful Forced Evictions: A Demand for Justice, Accountability and Resettlement for Makoko and Other Affected Communities” condemned the demolitions, describing them as inhumane and unlawful.
Speaking on Thursday at a forum organised by the coalition of affected communities in Lagos, the groups said the demolitions have created avoidable deaths, homelessness and economic ruin.
For Student Coordinator, Makoko Waterfront Community, Israel Idowu, what happened in Makoko was not sudden and could not have happened without the knowledge of the government. He recalled that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had in the past spoken publicly about plans to turn Makoko into a tourist destination and had also acknowledged the presence of power lines in the area.
“What happened in Makoko was not an accident. It was not something the government did not know about. The governor himself has spoken about turning Makoko into a tourist centre and has also mentioned the issue of power lines here,” Idowu said.
“We were told clearly that the demolition would stop. After that meeting, the bulldozers still came back. When we asked questions, we were told it was an order from above,” he said.
He described the human cost as devastating. According to him, a pregnant woman was bleeding and needed to be rushed to the hospital to give birth, but movement was restricted because of the demolition, leading to her death.
Idowu said many residents are now sleeping in boats, canoes, churches and open spaces.
“Children are no longer going to school. Fishing has stopped. Small shops that people depend on to feed their families have been destroyed,” he said, adding that ongoing sand filling in the lagoon shows the demolitions go beyond safety concerns and point to future developments that threaten the community’s survival.
Chairman, Owode Motor Spare Parts Market, Comrade Abiodun Ahmed, said demolitions in Owode Onirin wiped out livelihoods built over many years.
“In one day, traders lost their shops, spare parts, vehicles and everything they worked for. Some people lost businesses they have built for decades,” Ahmed said.
He said traders were attacked by security operatives and government officials, with some arrested and vehicles seized.
Secretary, Coalition of Oworonshoki Demolition Victims, Olanrewaju Olusegun, said residents of Oworonshoki faced a similar experience during the 2023 demolitions.
“They came late at night when people were asleep. Bulldozers pulled down houses with people still inside. It was chaos,” Olusegun said.
He said many residents were injured, arrested or detained, while others lost both their homes and their means of survival overnight.
Active citizen, Opeyemi Adamolekun, called for transparency over claims that some community leaders were paid by government officials.
“If the government says they paid some community leaders, they should come out and name them. Keeping it secret is creating mistrust and division in these communities,” Adamolekun said.
Earlier on the group alleged that at least 12 people, including two infants, have died, naming 70-year-old Albertine Ojadikluno and five-day-old Epiphany Kpenassou Adingban among the victims.
The rights groups said what is happening across Makoko, Owode and Oworonshoki amounts to state-created homelessness and land grabbing.
They demanded an immediate halt to demolitions, emergency shelter for displaced families, compensation for homes and businesses lost, accountability for deaths and abuses, and a resettlement plan developed with affected communities.
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