A number of residents of Makoko waterfront and different affected communities in Lagos, together with Oworonshoki and Owode Onirin, had been injured, whereas others had been arrested on Wednesday throughout a peaceable protest on the Lagos State Home of Meeting in opposition to ongoing demolitions and compelled evictions.
The protest, organised by residents and supported by a coalition of human rights, environmental and social justice organisations, was geared toward demanding an finish to the demolition of waterfront and low-income communities throughout the state.
Demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions equivalent to “No Justice, No Peace,” “Makoko Is Not a Slum,” and “Seek the advice of the Individuals,” whereas chanting solidarity songs.
Eyewitnesses mentioned the scenario turned violent when officers of the Lagos State Speedy Response Squad fired teargas on the protesters as they tried to realize entry to the premises of the Home of Meeting.
A number of residents reportedly sustained accidents, with bloodstains seen on components of the highway across the advanced.
A lady recognized as Kafayat Muftaudeen from the Oworonshoki group was mentioned to have been injured by teargas and was receiving therapy at Lagoon Hospital, Ikeja.
A male protester was additionally reportedly shot within the leg, whereas others fled the scene for security.
Journalists overlaying the protest weren’t spared, as some had their cameras allegedly seized by safety operatives.
As of the time of submitting this report, activists, group residents and a member of the #EndBadGovernance Motion in Lagos State, Hassan Taiwo Soweto, had been mentioned to have been arrested by the police.
In a joint assertion issued after the protest, the {groups} accused the Lagos State Authorities of finishing up demolitions and mass displacements in communities together with Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode Onirin, Otumara and Baba-Ijora with out sufficient discover, session, compensation or resettlement plans.
The assertion was signed by Israel Idowu, Pupil Coordinator of the Makoko Waterfront Group; Abiodun Ahmed, Chairman of Owode Motor Spare Components Market; Tunde Yusuf, Secretary of the Ajegunle Peoples Motion; Olanrewaju Olusegun, Secretary of the Coalition of Oworonshoki Demolition Victims; Betty Abah of CEE-HOPE; Alex Omotehinse of the Centre for Human and Social {Economic} Rights; Zikora Ibeh of Company Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA); Prince Iwamitighi R. Irowainu of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide; Opeyemi Adamolekun; and Hassan Taiwo Soweto.
The coalition alleged that the demolitions disproportionately affected low-income residents equivalent to fishermen, merchants, ladies, kids, the aged and individuals with disabilities, accusing the state authorities of prioritising personal growth pursuits over the welfare of weak residents.
They described the demolitions as a part of a long-standing sample, citing earlier workouts in Otodo Gbame (2016–2017), Oworonshoki (2023), Orisunmibare (February 2024), Otto (March 2024) and Oko-Baba (September 2024).
In keeping with the {groups}, demolitions carried out in Ilaje-Otumara and Baba-Ijora in March 2025 displaced over 10,000 residents, whereas one other spherical of demolitions in Oworonshoki in October 2025 allegedly occurred at evening regardless of a subsisting court docket injunction, displacing greater than 10,000 individuals.
On Makoko, they mentioned demolitions started on 23 December 2025, affecting greater than 3,000 properties and displacing over 10,000 residents, with faculties, clinics and locations of worship additionally destroyed. Whereas the Lagos State Authorities has justified the train on security grounds, notably the proximity of buildings to energy strains, the {groups} disputed the declare.
The coalition referred to as on the federal government to right away halt all demolitions, obey court docket orders, present emergency shelter and sufficient compensation for affected residents, and develop inclusive resettlement plans in session with impacted communities.
Talking individually, CAPPA’s Assistant Government Director, Zikora Ibeh, described the evictions as “arbitrary and inhumane,” accusing the state authorities of failing to utilise funds earmarked for the upgrading of Makoko.
With hundreds of households rendered homeless, residents warned that continued inaction may result in additional casualties and deepen the humanitarian disaster within the affected communities.