Spaces for Change (S4C) has condemned the recent midnight demolition of over 100 homes in Oworonshoki area of Lagos State, describing it as a flagrant violation of subsisting court order.
It expressed worry that the right of the people to shelter were violated with impunity as the demolition was mostly carried out when the residents were asleep.
“We call on the Lagos State government to halt the demolitions in line with subsisting court orders. Affected victims should be appropriately compensated, relocated and/or resettled, while officers who violently attacked protesters should be prosecuted.
“Consistent with its commitment to housing and urban justice, S4C will continue to monitor the situation in Oworonshoki while intensifying advocacy for urban and planning reforms in Lagos State that are rooted in human rights, ‘’ Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, the Executive Director of S4C said in a statement emailed to Persecondnews.
Persecondnews recalls that the Oworonshoki demolitions occurred less than four weeks after selecting demolishing properties and businesses at Lagos International Trade Fair Complex.
It stated: “Preliminary findings reveal that the demolitions were carried out by the Lagos State Government Task Force, comprising the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).
“Accompanied by over 50 armed policemen, the Task Force started demolishing properties at midnight on the 26th of October, at a time when residents were mostly sleeping inside their homes.
“Residents alleged that those protesting the demolitions were violently assaulted by the heavily armed police officers attached to the Task Force.
“Videos circulating online show security forces shooting directly at the protesters. Lagos State authorities carried out the demolitions despite subsisting court orders in flagrant disregard for the rule of law. It is interesting to note that the Oworoshoki matter is pending before the High Court of Lagos State, in Suit No. ID/9910GCM/2025.
“The court had earlier granted an interim injunction on the 23rd of October, restraining the Lagos State Government, the Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) from further demolishing buildings located on Ajileru Street, Ososa Extension, and Toluwalase Extension within the Itesiwaju Ajumoni Community Development Area, Oworonshoki. Defying this court order, the state agencies, together with armed police officers, demolished the buildings and homes in the named communities, leaving residents without opportunities to salvage their belongings.
“Just less than four weeks after selecting demolishing properties and businesses at Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, this current demolition further reinforces the Lagos State Government’s contempt for the right to property guaranteed under Section 43 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
“As specifically laid out in the case of SERAP v. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2002) 2 CHR 537 at 562, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the right to shelter (derived from the right to property) requires the government to refrain from demolishing citizens’ homes or preventing individuals and communities from reconstructing those that have been lost.’’
“This duty to respect housing rights means that the state and all its institutions or agents must avoid engaging in, supporting, or permitting any action, policy, or law that undermines personal integrity or restricts people’s freedom to use available resources as they see fit to meet their housing needs,’’ the statement said.
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