We, the undersigned national and international human rights, environmental, and social justice organisations, strongly condemn the ongoing violent demolition of Makoko, a historic fishing community on the Lagos Lagoon, by the Lagos State Government in Nigeria.
Since January 5, 2026, armed demolition teams have razed homes, schools, clinics, and places of worship in Makoko, using tear gas and excessive force against residents, including women, children, and the elderly. Hundreds of families have been rendered homeless, with many forced to sleep in boats, churches, and the open.
Over the past year, similar demolitions have displaced tens of thousands of people across communities, including Oko-Baba, Ayetoro (parts of Makoko), Otumara, Baba-Ijora, Oworonshoki, and Precious Seeds, often without notice, consultation, or any alternative arrangements for affected residents, with most houses set ablaze by the demolition team even with residents’ properties still in them. Same patterns have also been exhibited in several evictions dating years back including those of Badia East, Otodo-Gbame, Maroko, Monkey Village, Ilaje-Bariga, Ifelodun etc. Several deaths have also been reported as direct fallouts of the actions.
This pattern demonstrates a clear and repeated disregard for due process and court orders, as many communities had pending cases or injunctions restraining the state, which were ignored. These actions violate Nigeria’s constitutional protections and international human rights standards, threaten the cultural and economic survival of waterfront communities, and worsen Lagos’s acute housing shortage, which already affects millions of residents.
We call on the Lagos State Government to immediately halt all demolitions, respect court orders, investigate reported abuses, and provide adequate alternatives and compensation to affected communities.
Authorities must adopt rights-based, environmentally sustainable urban development that prioritises human dignity, housing security, and livelihoods over forced displacement.
We stand in solidarity with Makoko and all communities facing unlawful and violent evictions in Lagos.
Signed:
1. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nigeria.
2. Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Nigeria.
3. Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE), Nigeria.
4. Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN).
5. Kreative Arts Foundation For Community Engagement (KAFCOME), Nigeria
6. Oilwatch Africa
7. Connected Advocacy, Nigeria
8. International Climate Change Development Initiative, Nigeria
9. Fishnet Alliance Rivers State
10. Young Professionals in Policy and Development (YouPaD), Nigeria
11. Coalition for Socioecological Transformation of Nigeria (CoSET)
12. Tubali Development Initiative, Nigeria
13. FeminismLab, Nigeria
14. Centre pour la Justice Environnementale Togo (CJE-Togo)
15. Priye Kebbina
16. Policy Alert, Nigeria
17. We The People, Nigeria
18. Centre for 21st Century Issues, Nigeria
19. Ermera Farmers Union, Timor-Leste
20. Movement for Alternatives and Solidarity in Southeast Asia (MASSA)
21. Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, Norway
22. Basic Rights Watch
23. WoMin African Alliance, Africa
