CSOs Decry Forced Evictions in Makoko, Warn Over 80,000 Residents at Risk, Call for Immediate Halt

The Justice Empowerment Initiative (JEI) and the Nigerian Slum/Informal Settlement Federation, together with other civil society organisations (CSOs), have strongly criticised the Lagos State Government over the ongoing forced eviction of residents in Makoko, Oko Agbon and Sogunro communities within Lagos Mainland Local Council, warning that more than 80,000 people could be affected.

In a joint statement, the organisations said the demolition exercise has displaced thousands of residents without any form of resettlement, in clear violation of existing court orders, Nigeria’s laws and international human rights standards.
The groups explained that residents had earlier cooperated with the first phase of the demolition carried out in December 2025, which involved clearing a 30-metre setback from the high-tension power line running between the waterfront communities and the Third Mainland Bridge. According to the statement, community leaders had assured residents that the Lagos State Government would provide some form of compensation to those affected by the initial exercise.
They added that residents agreed to the first phase based on assurances that other parts of the communities would be protected. However, the organisations noted that the continuation of the demolition has breached those assurances.
Citing a house-numbering exercise conducted by Makoko community youths between 2020 and 2021, with support from JEI and the Nigerian Slum/Informal Settlement Federation, the groups stated that Makoko alone has a population of over 80,000 people.
The organisations stressed that Makoko and its neighbouring settlements are more than residential areas, describing them as iconic Lagos communities that attract visitors from around the world for their unique culture, architecture and communal lifestyle.
They described the ongoing evictions as particularly cruel, noting that they are taking place during the festive season and amid what they called the worst economic crisis Nigeria has faced in decades.
According to the statement, many displaced residents have been forced to seek shelter in other people’s homes or sleep in open canoes. The groups described the exercise as the most severe forced eviction since the military era.
Among the civil society organisations that endorsed the statement are the Centre for Children’s Health, Education, Orientation and Hope (CEE-HOPE), Global Rights and the Lagos Urban Development Initiative (LUDI).
The groups condemned the demolitions and urged both the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government to immediately halt the forced evictions.