*The survivor holding her bleeding leg
A peaceful protests of community leaders, displaced residents and activists groups turned violent Wednesday when some policemen fired bullets at the crowd in a bid to disrupt the protest at the state Secretariat, Alause.
The protest started peacefully enough at the Ikeja Under-Bridge, with calls for a stop to the ongoing demolition and alleged forced evictions of residents of waterfront and low-income communities across the state.
The protesters accused the Lagos State Government of carrying out demolitions in areas such as Makoko, Owode Onirin and Oworonshoki without adequate notice, compensation or resettlement plans for affected residents.
The protesters carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Stop Forced Evictions Now,” “Makoko Lives Matter,” “Demolition Without Resettlement Is Injustice,” “Urban Renewal, Not Urban Removal,” “Homes Not Rubble,” and “Housing Is a Human Right.”
Other messages read, “Where Do You Want the Poor to Go?” “Lagos Is for All, Not the Rich Alone,” “Respect Court Orders,” and “Development Without Displacement.”
Some demonstrators displayed photographs of demolished houses and displaced families, while others held images of children and elderly persons said to have been affected by the demolitions.
Chanting solidarity songs and slogans, including “No Justice, No Peace,” “Makoko Is Not a Slum,” and “Consult the People,” the protesters repeatedly called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to halt further demolitions and engage affected communities in dialogue.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, some of the protesters said communities such as Makoko, Owode Onirin and Oworonshoki have existed for decades and should be upgraded through inclusive urban renewal and proper planning rather than be demolished.
They demanded an immediate suspension of demolitions, provision of relief materials, compensation for affected residents and the adoption of humane resettlement policies.
The protesters vowed to sustain the demonstrations until the government responds to their demands.
However things devolved into pain and anguish when the protest train reached Alausa, where it was Co fronted by a phalanx of armed policemen.
Our reporter witnessed the evacuation of one of the women protesters who was shot in the leg to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. Incidentally, the Lagos State Teaching Hospital is shut off to patients due to the weeks – long strike action embarked upon by Lagos health workers.
More to follow:
