In three days, between March 7 and 9, Lagos State turned one other scene of demolition, as authorities destroyed all of the buildings in Ilaje Otumara and Baba Ijora, leaving over 15000 residents of those communities homeless.
Because of this train , many who hitherto had been landlords and tenants with roofs over their heads have now begun to sleep below Eko Bridge, and inside authorities owned colleges within the open together with their youngsters.
One of many market leaders and neighborhood spokesperson, Pastor Jude Ojo, a pastor in Redeemed Christian Church of God, maintained that the eviction was achieved in a merciless method as a result of many residents had been caught unaware and those that had been round weren’t allowed to select their belongings, as authorities demolished the buildings.
Ojo added that it was shocking that an elected authorities would displace over 15,000 residents of two communities with out bothering to supply options to them. But, throughout electioneering campaigns, politicians come to the neighborhood to canvass for votes, including that Sanwo-Olu marketing campaign staff got here over the last elections promising that the communities will undergo city regeneration on a win-win foundation
He famous that although the 2 communities lack good roads and drainages, which politicians who go to the communities at all times promised to do one thing about, as soon as elections are over, these communities are deserted.
In accordance with him, the communities by means of self assist have been doing palliatives to improve its roads and drainages. He disclosed that most of the landlords pay land use prices whereas companies pay one type of taxes to the native council and state authorities, disclosing that because the market chief, each three months, about N1.3 million is remitted to the Lagos Mainland Native Council as levies.
Ojo said that opposite to the declare that the communities had been hideout for criminals, he mentioned they had been habited by not solely law-abiding residents but in addition accountable individuals.
He mentioned he has 4 youngsters with one already a graduate of College of Lagos, the second baby a scholar of the College of Ibadan, the third is an undergraduate on the College of Lagos whereas his final born is in search of admission. He insisted that many dad and mom inside the communities have comparable tales like him with their youngsters in increased establishments or about to achieve admission, questioning how such households will probably be harbouring criminals.
Offering some background to the demolition, Ojo said that on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, the Lagos State Constructing Management Company (LASBCA) entered into Ilaje Otumara and neighbouring Baba Ijora communities in Lagos Mainland and arbitrarily marked tons of of properties and enterprise for imminent “elimination” inside a interval of simply two days.
“That very same day, residents protested to the Lagos Mainland Native Authorities the place the Chairwoman pledged assist for the neighborhood.On February 12, 2025, residents mobilised to Alausa for a big peaceable demonstration interesting to the Governor of Lagos State and the Home of Meeting to look into and cease the threatened eviction; the identical day, residents went spherical to ship letters to all of the ministries and businesses chargeable for city improvement – and ended up over the following two weeks assembly severally with the Basic Supervisor of LASBCA, and when LASBCA doubled down on its menace, additional conferences with the Basic Supervisor of the Lagos State City Renewal Company (LASURA), the Everlasting Secretary of the Ministry of Bodily Planning and City Growth and, lastly, the Particular Advisor to the Lagos State Governor on City Growth, who assured the neighborhood they’d not be evicted and pledged to as a substitute proceed partnership for regeneration.”
Ojo mentioned regardless of the assurances from authorities and its businesses, on the morning of Friday, March 7, 2025, with no prior warning, LASBCA officers, police, and so-called “space boys” armed with machetes descended on the 2 communities with a Kick Towards Indiscipline (KAI) ‘Black Maria’ cell detention automobile and as many as 5 excavators, beating residents and shortly starting to demolish everything of each communities from varied instructions, paying no heed as to whether a constructing had beforehand been marked or not.
“The eviction continued on March 8 and 9, destroying practically everything of each communities, permitting widespread vandalism and looting, and leaving 1000’s of residents displaced and sleeping exterior.”
He revealed that Ilaje Otumara was considered one of dozens of waterfront communities that joined collectively in 2016 to display and ultimately convey motion towards the Lagos State authorities below the administration of Akinwumi Ambode – which resulted in a precedent judgment from the Lagos State Excessive Court docket that pressured evictions similar to had been carried out in Otodo Gbame from 2016 to 2017 violate the suitable to dignity enshrined in Part 34 of the 1999 Nigerian Structure.
“The everlasting injunction towards displacement with out prior session and resettlement that additionally got here out of this case protects Ilaje Otumara and different waterfront casual settlements to immediately.
“Whereas Lagos has definitely not been freed from demolitions and compelled evictions in the course of the intervening years, a brand new strategy to constructive engagement between communities like Ilaje Otumara and businesses like LASURA additionally started to emerge in 2017 and carried ahead by means of successive administrations together with the primary administration of the present Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“Pilot tasks to display how higher city improvement might be practiced in Lagos have been mentioned from the Kosofe Mannequin Metropolis Plan to a Future Cities-supported regeneration plan developed for the Otto space of Lagos Mainland; and several other generations of management of LASURA and its mother or father Ministry of Bodily Planning and City Growth have tried out a special tone and strategy in partaking some communities.
“Certainly, since mid-2021, Ilaje Otumara has been positively partaking with LASURA round a deliberate partnership with the neighborhood to hold out regeneration wherein residents had been meant to be half and parcel. In late 2021, the neighborhood arrange a regeneration committee to have interaction with LASURA and potential builders; in mid-2022, the neighborhood performed its personal census, numbering 2,808 households with a inhabitants of at the least 12,313 residents; in March 2023, Governor Sanwo-Olu campaigned to Otumara primarily based on the promise that this challenge would proceed; and simply after the election, the neighborhood performed an opinion survey to determine the upgrading priorities of residents and feed into an anticipated participatory planning course of.”
A landlord, Mrs. Esan Omolara, mentioned she usually pay her land use cost yearly and that on the day of the demolition she was crushed by thugs imported to the communities when she tried rescuing a few of her belongs because the demolition began.
A youth, Olabanji Johnson, alleged that these behind the eviction mobilised a preferred thug in Lagos Island, who got here with tons of of his boys. They had been armed with machetes and axes except for the safety officers who had been armed with weapons pondering the neighborhood members would assault however had been shock to find that he individuals had been peaceable and regulation abiding.
“This was why there was no violence or casualties in the course of the demolition train.” In accordance with him, most of the thugs apart stole private belongs of evicted residents, in broad day gentle they had been auctioning a few of the gadgets they may not cart away to prepared patrons.
When the Public Affairs Officer of Lagos State Constructing Management Company (LASBCA), Mr. Adu, was contacted, he claimed that the residents had been served a number of eviction notices as a result of they don’t have permits.
When The Guardian mentioned his feedback could be recorded to know if the buildings inside Ilaje Otumara and Baba Ijora had been the one ones with out permits contemplating the Commissioner for Bodily Planning and City Growth, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, in 2024 mentioned that 75 per cent of buildings in Lagos State had been unapproved, he declined commenting on the problem once more and lower the decision.
When the Public Affairs Officer of the Ministry of Bodily Planning and City Growth, Sanusi Mukaila, was contacted, he claimed LASBCA was chargeable for the demolition.
