Landgrabbing or urban renewal — Features — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

In three days, between March 7 and 9, Lagos State became another scene of demolition, as government destroyed all the buildings in Ilaje Otumara and Baba Ijora, leaving over 15000 residents of these communities homeless.

As a result of this exercise , many who hitherto were landlords and tenants with roofs over their heads have now begun to sleep under Eko Bridge, and inside government owned schools in the open including their children.

One of the market leaders and community spokesperson, Pastor Jude Ojo, a pastor in Redeemed Christian Church of God, maintained that the eviction was done in a cruel manner because many residents were caught unaware and those who were around were not allowed to pick their belongings, as government demolished the structures.

Ojo added that it was surprising that an elected government would displace over 15,000 residents of two communities without bothering to provide alternatives to them. Yet, during electioneering campaigns, politicians come to the community to canvass for votes, adding that Sanwo-Olu campaign team came during the last elections promising that the communities will go through urban regeneration on a win-win basis

He noted that though the two communities lack good roads and drainages, which politicians who visit the communities always promised to do something about, once elections are over, these communities are abandoned.

According to him, the communities through self help have been doing palliatives to upgrade its roads and drainages. He disclosed that many of the landlords pay land use charges while businesses pay one form of taxes to the local council and state government, disclosing that as the market leader, every three months, about N1.3 million is remitted to the Lagos Mainland Local Council as levies.

Ojo stated that contrary to the claim that the communities were hideout for criminals, he said they were habited by not only law-abiding citizens but also responsible people.

He said he has four children with one already a graduate of University of Lagos, the second child a student of the University of Ibadan, the third is an undergraduate at the University of Lagos while his last born is seeking admission. He insisted that many parents within the communities have similar stories like him with their children in higher institutions or about to gain admission, wondering how such families will be harbouring criminals.

Providing some background to the demolition, Ojo stated that on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) entered into Ilaje Otumara and neighbouring Baba Ijora communities in Lagos Mainland and arbitrarily marked hundreds of homes and business for imminent “removal” within a period of just two days.

“That same day, residents protested to the Lagos Mainland Local Government where the Chairwoman pledged support for the community.
On February 12, 2025, residents mobilised to Alausa for a large peaceful demonstration appealing to the Governor of Lagos State and the House of Assembly to look into and stop the threatened eviction; the same day, residents went round to deliver letters to all the ministries and agencies responsible for urban development – and ended up over the next two weeks meeting severally with the General Manager of LASBCA, and when LASBCA doubled down on its threat, further meetings with the General Manager of the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency (LASURA), the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and, finally, the Special Advisor to the Lagos State Governor on Urban Development, who assured the community they would not be evicted and pledged to instead continue partnership for regeneration.”

Ojo said despite the assurances from government and its agencies, on the morning of Friday, March 7, 2025, with no prior warning, LASBCA officials, police, and so-called “area boys” armed with machetes descended on the two communities with a Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) ‘Black Maria’ mobile detention vehicle and as many as five excavators, beating residents and quickly beginning to demolish the entirety of both communities from various directions, paying no heed to whether a building had previously been marked or not.

“The eviction continued on March 8 and 9, destroying nearly the entirety of both communities, allowing widespread vandalism and looting, and leaving thousands of residents displaced and sleeping outside.”

He revealed that Ilaje Otumara was one of dozens of waterfront communities that joined together in 2016 to demonstrate and eventually bring action against the Lagos State government under the administration of Akinwumi Ambode – which resulted in a precedent judgment from the Lagos State High Court that forced evictions such as were carried out in Otodo Gbame from 2016 to 2017 violate the right to dignity enshrined in Section 34 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

“The permanent injunction against displacement without prior consultation and resettlement that also came out of this case protects Ilaje Otumara and other waterfront informal settlements to today.

“While Lagos has certainly not been free of demolitions and forced evictions during the intervening years, a new approach to positive engagement between communities like Ilaje Otumara and agencies like LASURA also began to emerge in 2017 and carried forward through successive administrations including the first administration of the current Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“Pilot projects to demonstrate how better urban development could be practiced in Lagos have been discussed from the Kosofe Model City Plan to a Future Cities-supported regeneration plan developed for the Otto area of Lagos Mainland; and several generations of leadership of LASURA and its parent Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development have tried out a different tone and approach in engaging some communities.

“Indeed, since mid-2021, Ilaje Otumara has been positively engaging with LASURA around a planned partnership with the community to carry out regeneration in which residents were meant to be part and parcel. In late 2021, the community set up a regeneration committee to engage with LASURA and potential developers; in mid-2022, the community conducted its own census, numbering 2,808 households with a population of at least 12,313 residents; in March 2023, Governor Sanwo-Olu campaigned to Otumara based on the promise that this project would continue; and just after the election, the community conducted an opinion survey to identify the upgrading priorities of residents and feed into an expected participatory planning process.”

A landlord, Mrs. Esan Omolara, said she regularly pay her land use charge every year and that on the day of the demolition she was beaten by thugs imported to the communities when she tried rescuing some of her belongs as the demolition started.

A youth, Olabanji Johnson, alleged that those behind the eviction mobilised a popular thug in Lagos Island, who came with hundreds of his boys. They were armed with machetes and axes aside from the security officers who were armed with guns thinking the community members would attack but were surprise to discover that he people were peaceful and law abiding.

“This was why there was no violence or casualties during the demolition exercise.” According to him, many of the thugs aside stole personal belongs of evicted residents, in broad day light they were auctioning some of the items they could not cart away to willing buyers.

When the Public Affairs Officer of Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Adu, was contacted, he claimed that the residents were served several eviction notices because they do not have permits.

When The Guardian said his comments would be recorded to know if the buildings within Ilaje Otumara and Baba Ijora were the only ones without permits considering the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, in 2024 said that 75 per cent of buildings in Lagos State were unapproved, he declined commenting on the issue again and cut the call.

When the Public Affairs Officer of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Sanusi Mukaila, was contacted, he claimed LASBCA was responsible for the demolition.