They further alleged that traders at the Owode Onirin spare parts market and residents of Ajegunle are currently facing imminent forced eviction without adequate notice, compensation, or resettlement plans.
A coalition of civil society groups under the banner Coalition Against Demolition, Forced Eviction, Landgrabbing and Displacement in Lagos on Wednesday staged a protest at the Ikeja Underbridge, Lagos, to condemn the growing culture of state-backed demolitions and forced evictions across the state.
SaharaReporters gathered that the peaceful protest, which began in the early hours of Wednesday morning, drew a heavy police presence, with security operatives taking over strategic points around the underbridge, effectively restricting movement in the area.
The protesters carried placards and banners with inscriptions such as “Lagos Is Not For The Rich Alone,” “Stop Forced Evictions,” and “Homes Before Hotels,” as they accused the Lagos State Government of prioritising elite interests over the survival of poor and working-class residents.
Meanwhile, members of the coalition said that within the last one year alone, tens of thousands of homes had been demolished across waterfront and low-income communities including Makoko, Oko Agbon, Sogunro, Otumara, Oworonshoki, and Bariga.
They further alleged that traders at the Owode Onirin spare parts market and residents of Ajegunle are currently facing imminent forced eviction without adequate notice, compensation, or resettlement plans.
According to the coalition, these actions have rendered thousands homeless, disrupted livelihoods, and deepened poverty in Africa’s most populous city.
The protesters accused Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and what they described as powerful business interests of grabbing lands belonging to poor communities to make way for luxury homes, hotels, and commercial developments.
“Governor Sanwo-Olu and his rich cronies cannot continue to steal poor people’s land to build hotels and luxury homes,” the protesters said. “Development that destroys lives is not development.”
They warned that if unchecked, the demolitions would effectively push low-income earners out of Lagos entirely.
“Lagos is not for the rich alone. It is time to stop Governor Sanwo-Olu before the poor are chased out of Lagos,” they said.