Many residents of Oworonshoki in Lagos State have been left stranded after the recent demolition of their homes and shops by government authorities, forcing some to sell their personal belongings for almost nothing.
The demolition reportedly took place at midnight along Tolu Alashe Street, a waterfront area once bustling with activity but now reduced to heaps of broken blocks, roofing sheets, and scattered household items.
Eyewitnesses said the exercise rendered hundreds of women and children homeless, with many now sleeping in the open without food or assistance. “We were not given proper notice. The demolition happened at night. Before we knew it, everything was gone,” a resident lamented while packing what was left of her belongings.
Mrs Rebecca, one of the displaced victims and mother of one, recounted her ordeal, saying she had just completed payment for a two-room apartment before it was destroyed. “I have spinal issues and managed to pay ₦360,000 for that house. I bought that fan ₦35,000, but the aboki said ₦1,000. I don’t have a choice,” she said tearfully, surrounded by her damaged property.
Another resident, Mrs Jumai, who had lived in the community for ten years, said she narrowly escaped with her children when the bulldozers arrived at about 11 p.m. She lost her pepper-soup and drinks shop, along with her children’s school materials. “We ran out at night. My shop is gone, and my children’s school too. We don’t know where to go from here,” she told reporters.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, condemned the action, describing it as “a blatant abuse of power and contempt of court.” He stated that the demolition defied a subsisting court order that had restrained the government from continuing with the exercise. Some residents also alleged that the operation was carried out without any meaningful plan for compensation or relocation.
However, officials of the Lagos State government maintained that the exercise was necessary to reclaim the right-of-way and restore the natural flow of drainage channels along the waterfront. They insisted that the demolition was in the public interest, though affected residents continue to demand shelter and justice, claiming that “we are not criminals, we are victims of the might of the state.”