The Take It Back Movement (TIB) and the Coalition of Victims of Oworonshoki Illegal Demolition have jointly condemned what they described as the Lagos State Government’s “nonchalant attitude, gross negligence, and ongoing threats” against more than 10,000 residents forcibly evicted from the Oworonshoki area of Lagos.
In a statement jointly signed by Opeyemi Ogunlami for the TIB and Olaleye Bashiru for the Coalition, the groups decried the continuous silence and inaction of the state government more than one year after the demolition that rendered thousands homeless.
The affected communities include Oke-Eri, Odun’fa, Lone Street, Ogo-Oluwa, Precious Seed, and Coker—all located within Oworonshoki. The groups recalled that in 2022, officials of the Lagos State Police Task Force, acting on the directive of the Ministry of Environment, stormed Mosafejo and Precious Seed communities with bulldozers and armed personnel.
According to the statement, the operation led to the demolition and burning of homes without giving residents time to retrieve their belongings. Over 1,000 houses were reportedly destroyed, displacing more than 10,000 people, including women and children.
The TIB and the Coalition revealed that at least 22 people have died in the aftermath of the demolition, attributing the deaths to trauma, hypertension, and other health complications brought on by the sudden displacement and loss of livelihoods.
They added that hundreds of children have been forced out of school due to homelessness and financial hardship. Thousands remain without shelter or means of survival to this day.
“The sole aim of this brutal forced eviction,” the statement alleged, “was to seize land from the poor and hand it over to the rich and powerful through private developers.”
They also expressed concern over continued threats of further demolitions in the area, allegedly involving both state and non-state actors. They called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to immediately halt all eviction plans and address the grievances of affected residents.
“It is heartbreaking that till now, Governor Sanwo-Olu has refused to acknowledge the suffering of these victims, let alone offer compensation or resettlement,” they said.
“Instead of providing relief, the government keeps issuing new threats, intensifying the trauma already inflicted on thousands of displaced families.”
The statement concluded by affirming the fundamental right to housing, referencing protections enshrined in both the Nigerian Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“We reaffirm that the right to shelter is a basic human right. We will continue to speak up until justice is done.”
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