Makoko Demolition Sparks Protest In Lagos

Protests erupted in Lagos on Wednesday as community leaders and displaced residents took to the streets to challenge the ongoing demolition of homes in waterfront and low-income settlements, including Makoko, Owode Onirin and Oworonshoki.

The demonstrators converged on the Ikeja Under-Bridge, a strategic and busy corridor, effectively drawing public attention to what they described as forced evictions carried out by the Lagos State Government without due process. Traffic slowed as protesters occupied parts of the under-bridge, waving placards and chanting slogans demanding urgent government intervention.

Placards at the protest carried strong messages such as “Stop Forced Evictions Now,” “Makoko Lives Matter,” “Urban Renewal, Not Urban Removal,” and “Housing Is a Human Right.” Others questioned the social direction of urban development with inscriptions like “Where Do You Want the Poor to Go?” and “Lagos Is for All, Not the Rich Alone.”

Several protesters displayed photographs allegedly showing demolished homes, displaced families, children and elderly residents affected by the exercise. Solidarity songs and chants including “No Justice, No Peace” and “Consult the People” echoed under the bridge as the crowd appealed directly to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to halt further demolitions and open dialogue with affected communities.

Speaking at the scene, activists described the demolitions as harsh, insensitive and inconsistent with existing court orders restraining forced evictions in some waterfront areas. They claimed that many residents were rendered homeless overnight, forcing families to seek refuge in canoes, under bridges and other open spaces.

According to the protesters, communities such as Makoko, Owode Onirin and Oworonshoki have existed for decades and should be integrated into Lagos’ urban renewal agenda through structured planning and upgrading, rather than wholesale demolition.

The protesters insisted that development must be people-centred and inclusive, warning that urban renewal should not translate into social exclusion. They vowed to sustain the protests until their demands are addressed, including the suspension of demolitions, provision of relief materials, compensation for affected residents and the adoption of humane resettlement policies.

As Lagos continues its drive towards urban regeneration, the protest underscores growing tension between development objectives and the social responsibility to protect vulnerable communities—a balance many insist the government must urgently rethink.