Residents of Lagos' historic Makoko waterfront community staged a protest on Wednesday against ongoing demolitions and alleged forceful evictions, accusing local assembly members of summoning police who dispersed them with tear gas and, according to protesters, gunfire.
Community leader Jude Ojo, an evictee from the Otumara area and member of Slum Dwellers International (SDI), described the events in detail.
He explained that after previous protests yielded only unfulfilled promises, residents marched peacefully from Ikeja Bridge to the Lagos State House of Assembly gate to demand attention to rights violations stemming from land grabbing and demolitions in Makoko and surrounding areas.
"Yesterday was a day that I will never forget in my life," Ojo said. "We decided to approach the government in another way whereby probably we could get attention for how our rights have been violated."
Assembly officials reportedly met the protesters outside, promising to listen but refusing entry into the complex even to an open field area.
Protesters were told to wait, only for the situation to escalate suddenly."The next thing we experienced was gunshot and teargas," Ojo recounted.
"So there were gunshots and a guy was shot in the leg. That guy was rushed to hospital."Ojo directly blamed assembly members for the police response, stating they "sent Police to teargas us" after initially engaging the crowd.
The protest involved residents from multiple affected communities, including Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode-Onirin, and others, who carried placards condemning forced evictions without compensation or resettlement.
Police used tear gas to disperse the gathering, citing the need to reopen roads and maintain order.Lagos State Police denied any use of live ammunition, insisting they only deployed tear gas and recorded no injuries from shootings.
Some reports noted one protester suffered a leg injury requiring hospital treatment, with conflicting accounts on whether it resulted from gunfire or other means.
Human rights groups and activists have condemned the police actions as excessive, calling for investigations into brutality and arrests during the demonstration.
Makoko, one of Africa's largest floating slums built on stilts over water, has long faced demolition drives by Lagos authorities, often justified on grounds of illegal structures near power lines or urban development needs, displacing thousands without adequate support.
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