Community leaders and displaced residents staged a protest at the Ikeja Under-Bridge in Lagos, calling on the state government to halt demolitions and forced evictions in low-income waterfront communities.
Community leaders and displaced residents on Wednesday converged on the Ikeja Under-Bridge area of Lagos to protest ongoing demolitions and alleged forced evictions in waterfront and low-income communities, including Makoko, Owode Onirin, and Oworonshoki. The protesters accused the Lagos State Government of carrying out the demolitions without adequate notice, compensation, or resettlement plans for affected residents. DAILY POST observed that the demonstrators occupied strategic sections of the under-bridge, drawing the attention of commuters and motorists along the busy Ikeja axis.
Protesters carried banners and placards with bold inscriptions such as “Stop Forced Evictions Now,” “Makoko Lives Matter,” “Demolition Without Resettlement Is Injustice,” “Urban Renewal, Not Urban Removal,” “Homes Not Rubble,” and “Housing Is a Human Right.” Other placards read “Where Do You Want the Poor to Go?” “Lagos Is for All, Not the Rich Alone,” and “Respect Court Orders.” Some protesters also displayed photographs of demolished homes and displaced families, while others bore images of children and elderly persons allegedly affected by the demolitions.
Chanting solidarity songs and slogans, the protesters repeatedly called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to halt further demolitions and engage affected communities in dialogue. Popular chants included “No Justice, No Peace,” “Makoko Is Not a Slum,” and “Consult the People.” The demonstration highlighted the growing tension between urban development plans in Lagos and the rights of low-income residents facing displacement.