Makoko demolition is deliberate; CAPPA, CHSR, others blast Sanwo-Olu.
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and other national and international human rights, environmental, and social justice organisations condemn the Lagos State Government’s alleged deliberate creation of homelessness in the Makoko community.
In a press conference held at the International Press Centre, Ogba, Lagos State, on Tuesday, January 22, 2025, the coalition stated that the demolition is an intentional target of the Makoko community.
The group stated that the government’s plan to develop the shanty community into an urban settlement is a forceful eviction, displacement and land grabbing in the underprivileged community.
“What is unfolding in these waterfront and informal settlements is not urban renewal as claimed by the state; it is state-created homelessness, engineered through brute force and justified with shifting narratives. These demolitions overwhelmingly target the poor – fishermen and women, traders, women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities – who have neither the political power nor the economic means to resist.”
They express concern about the aftermath of the displacement, with the government not providing alternative shelters that can accommodate thousands of people who will be left stranded, subjecting them to starvation, epidemics, out-of-school experiences, and an increase in the crime rate in the state.
“By destroying homes without alternatives, the government has plunged thousands into acute humanitarian distress, exposing families to hunger, disease, illiteracy, violence and death. This is a vicious cycle in which the state creates homelessness and then abandons the victims to survive on their own, which has been shown to also increase crime in societies.”
According to the statement, homes, schools, health facilities and livelihoods were illegally demolished. The organisation called for compensation and redress for victims of brutality and abuse, including families who lost loved ones during the demolitions.
Beyond the palliative measures, the groups urged the Lagos State government to immediately initiate a transparent resettlement plan for the affected communities for all displaced residents, ensuring access to housing, education, healthcare, livelihoods and basic services.
The statement also demands that the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, publicly apologise for the harm, violence, deaths, displacement and suffering caused and take accountability for the use of force and killings by state agents during the demolitions and, with immediate effect, halt all demolitions and forced evictions with full compliance with existing court orders and future judicial processes.