Three times in the past six months, the waterfront slums of Lagos
have been forcibly – and often violently – evicted by the government.
Thousands have been displaced and some killed. Here, eight former
residents tell their story
The Otodo Gbame and Itedo communities of two of the largest informal
fishing settlements in Lagos, with an estimated population of 40,000
people living on the waterside. On 17 March, in the early hours, the
Itedo community was forced to flee when government bulldozers arrived to
destroy their neighbourhood.
Officials have variously cited environmental concerns as well as security against “militants” as the reason for the demolitions, which have now evicted at least 35,000 people and have continued despite a January court injunction ordering they be halted. Few Nigerians doubt that the appropriated lands, located on choice waterfront property, will be used to build luxury enclaves.
Journalist Ijeoma Joy Ike and photographer Andrew Esiebo asked eight of the residents to describe what happened.
“We tried pleading with them and they told us to wait for their boss; when the man arrived he ordered them to continue with the demolitions. Our pleas fell on deaf ears. We lost all our properties and even recorded a loss of two children on that day – the children were still sleeping inside when the demolishers started tearing their house apart.
“They came here as early as 7am, without any notice while some people were still asleep inside their homes. We need help because we have been left stranded with no shelter or food. The government needs to do something. More than 30,000 members of our community were forced to flee from our homes.”
“We sleep inside this shanty, the nine of us. When we wake up, whatever we see we eat, and then we wait without knowing where the next meal will come from. We are human beings with rights and we are also citizens of this country. The government has to do something for us.”
“We sleep in these piles of ruins. When it gets dark we make tents of mosquito nets and sleep inside them with our children. We are stranded with our family with no money and no shelter. Accommodation inside the city is expensive and we cannot afford it.”
Officials have variously cited environmental concerns as well as security against “militants” as the reason for the demolitions, which have now evicted at least 35,000 people and have continued despite a January court injunction ordering they be halted. Few Nigerians doubt that the appropriated lands, located on choice waterfront property, will be used to build luxury enclaves.
Journalist Ijeoma Joy Ike and photographer Andrew Esiebo asked eight of the residents to describe what happened.
Pastor Ashegbon, 48
“We woke up and saw about four caterpillars [bulldozers] entering the neighbourhood. The baale [local leader] and I went out to inquire what they wanted inside our neighbourhood. They told us that they have come to demolish our homes, and when we asked why, they said it was an order from the government.“We tried pleading with them and they told us to wait for their boss; when the man arrived he ordered them to continue with the demolitions. Our pleas fell on deaf ears. We lost all our properties and even recorded a loss of two children on that day – the children were still sleeping inside when the demolishers started tearing their house apart.
“They came here as early as 7am, without any notice while some people were still asleep inside their homes. We need help because we have been left stranded with no shelter or food. The government needs to do something. More than 30,000 members of our community were forced to flee from our homes.”
Omolayo Ikumola, 45
“I am a widow with eight children. I have just come back from burying my husband and it wasn’t even a week before this demolition took place. Before my children were in school, I had a small business through which I sustained my family and me. But now we don’t have any other means of livelihood.“We sleep inside this shanty, the nine of us. When we wake up, whatever we see we eat, and then we wait without knowing where the next meal will come from. We are human beings with rights and we are also citizens of this country. The government has to do something for us.”
Pastor Mallon Agbejoye, 70
“We have inhabited this land for over 45 years now and they just destroyed our community like that; we were not given any notice, they just arrived with their bulldozers and started tearing down our homes. We don’t even know the people behind this, whether it is the state government or the traditional leader (Oba of Elegushi).“We sleep in these piles of ruins. When it gets dark we make tents of mosquito nets and sleep inside them with our children. We are stranded with our family with no money and no shelter. Accommodation inside the city is expensive and we cannot afford it.”
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