In a brutal early morning operation on Friday, the Ilaje-Otumara community in Lagos was forcibly demolished, displacing over 9,000 residents. Police and local officials, alongside armed youths known as 'area boys', executed the demolitions, showcasing a pattern of mass evictions of impoverished communities in Lagos. Although a 2017 court ruling had prohibited such actions without alternative housing, the government marked the community for demolition earlier this year, giving residents little notice. The violence during the eviction left many fleeing with only their belongings, as witnesses reported serious abuses by authorities.
On Friday, residents of Ilaje-Otumara woke up to demolition equipment and armed men, giving them only moments to collect their belongings and leave.
Mass demolitions of largely poor inner-city or waterfront communities are common in Lagos, with previous evictions occurring in Otodo-Gbame and Tarkwa Bay.
In 2017, a Lagos State High Court barred the state government from evicting residents from Ilaje-Otumara under threat without providing an alternative settlement.
Witnesses reported state officials and police watching as residents were beaten and attacked, forcibly evicted without their possessions during the demolitions.
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