Makoko Protest: What We Know So Far

A protest against the demolition of homes in Lagos’s Makoko and Iyana-Oworo waterfront communities turned violent on Wednesday after police fired teargas outside the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Displaced residents and their supporters had gathered peacefully in the Alausa area to demand an end to the demolitions in Makoko, a crowded waterfront settlement, and to call for justice over deaths linked to recent eviction exercises.

Witnesses said police blocked roads leading to the assembly complex around 1:30 p.m. Officers from the Rapid Response Squad later fired teargas at the protesters, causing panic.

Protesters, workers and passersby ran for safety as teargas filled the area. Several people were injured, organisers said, though no official figures were released.

“The police started firing teargas at us. Many people were injured,” one protester told reporters.

Videos shared online also showed demonstrators fleeing as security officers advanced.

Protest Messages and Arrests

The demonstrators carried placards reading “Stop Forced Evictions Now”, “Makoko Lives Matter”, “Housing Is a Human Right” and “Urban Renewal, Not Urban Removal”.

Some protesters also carried a symbolic coffin wrapped with pictures of dead victims killed during demolition exercises.

Placards with photographs of alleged victims were seen in video footage. They were seen telling some police officers that the coffin was meant to be delivered to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, then they later placed the coffin at the back of the police vehicle, and the policemen drove away with it.

Several demonstrators were also reportedly arrested, including Hassan Taiwo, also known as Soweto, organisers said. Jamiu Towolawi of the Take It Back Movement confirmed the arrests, according to a report.

Death Claims and Demands

Activists said many families were left homeless overnight, with some forced to sleep in canoes, under bridges and in open spaces.

They also said over five people, including two babies, have died from the effects of teargas used during demolition operations that began shortly before Christmas. These claims have not been officially confirmed.

One resident, Papa Eve Amossou, a carpenter in Makoko, told reporters that his three-week-old daughter died during a demolition operation.

He said police fired teargas as residents tried to escape. In the chaos, his wife, who was carrying their baby, slipped into the lagoon.

“They started firing tear gas and people were running. My wife was holding our baby when she slipped and fell into the water. We took the child to the hospital, but they said she was already dead,” Amossou said.

The protesters also accused the authorities of ignoring court orders that restrict forced evictions in waterfront areas. They called on the government to improve long-standing communities rather than destroy them.

Demonstrators vowed to keep up their protests until demolitions are halted, relief supplies are delivered, impacted families receive compensation, and equitable resettlement plans are implemented.

They also accused security forces of shooting some residents during eviction operations. They called for the prosecution of those involved, compensation for families of victims and an end to what they described as land grabbing along the waterfront.

 Government Defends Demolitions

Lagos State officials said the demolitions were carried out for safety and urban renewal reasons, adding that structures built within 100 metres of high-tension power lines crossing the lagoon were marked for removal.

Governor Sanwo-Olu said the government was acting to prevent disasters.

 “The safety of lives and property is paramount and must be safeguarded. I just explained to you that a tanker carrying 33,000 litres of fuel fell on a bridge and spilt fuel, and over 100 people were there scooping it,” Sanwo-Olu said.

“We had to deploy our first responders to address the situation. If anything had happened, this is not what we would be talking about.

“It’s a similar thing we’re doing in Makoko. Of what interest would it be for the government to demolish anyone’s structure if not for the overall safety of citizens?”

He said the exercise did not involve the entire Makoko community but was aimed at clearing areas near the Third Mainland Bridge and the high-tension wires.

Sanwo-Olu also accused some local and international NGOs of profiting from the situation, saying the government would present evidence.

“What we are doing is not demolishing the whole of Makoko. We are clearing areas to ensure they do not encroach on the Third Mainland Bridge and to keep residents away from high-tension lines. We are aware that some local and international NGOs want to profit from this.

“We are studying it and will present evidence. They make so much money from international donors and have asked for large grants concerning these areas, only to cover their own falsehoods and the fact that they have not done what they promised. That is why they are shouting and crying more than the bereaved.

“We’ve been on this for two and a half years and have held meetings with them. We cannot fold our arms and allow calamity to happen,” the governor said.