At the waterfront in Makoko, the sound of paddles on the lagoon has been replaced by the roar of bulldozers and the cries of displaced families. What the Lagos State Government describes as “urban renewal” now feels, to residents, like a war against the poor.
In communities such as Makoko, Oworonshoki, Ilaje-Otumara, Owode Onirin and Baba Ijora, thousands of people, who once lived, traded and fished peacefully now sleep in canoes, churches and open spaces, stripped of dignity and security.
At a press briefing convened by concerned non-governmental organisations including Member, #Endbad Governance Movement, Lagos State, represented by Hassan Taiwo; Assistant Executive Director, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation (CAPPA), Zikora Ibeh; Coordinator, Makoko Waterfront Community, Israel Idowu and others, which took place at International Press Centre, Ogba, the state government was indicted of inhuman treatment and displacement of poor people from their residences and locations, “where they get their daily bread miopically and forcefully taken over by the elite and the powerful persons .”
Makoko, home to more than 100,000 people, has become the latest symbol of state-created homelessness. Since December 23, 2025, over 3,000 homes have been destroyed, displacing more than 10,000 residents.
Women clutching babies, elderly men unable to swim, and children whose classrooms once floated on water now wander without shelter. Residents recount how demolition squads arrived with armed security operatives, firing tear gas and setting homes ablaze, sometimes while families were still inside. At least 12 people, including two infants, are reported dead.
For 38-year-old fisherwoman Funke Adeyemi, Makoko was not just a place, but survival. “My parents lived here. My children were born here. My canoe is my office,” she said, standing beside the charred remains of her home. “Now I have no house, no school for my children, and no place to fish from.”
The story repeats itself across Lagos. In Ilaje-Otumara and Baba Ijora, over 10,000 people were pushed onto the streets in March 2025 without notice. In Oworonshoki, bulldozers arrived at night in 2025, tearing down homes while residents slept. Some who resisted were beaten and detained. Even court orders restraining demolitions were ignored, deepening public outrage over the state’s contempt for the rule of law.
Government officials argue that waterfront settlements are unsafe and environmentally hazardous. Yet, critics say it is the same government that failed for decades to provide sanitation, potable water, healthcare and safe housing, now using its neglect as justification for destruction. Instead of upgrading communities, the state appears to be clearing valuable land for elite projects, leaving the poor to bear the cost of development.
Human rights groups also question the fate of the alleged $200 million World Bank loan meant for slum upgrading, including Makoko. Residents ask whether the sand-filling and new structures rising on demolished land are for them, or for investors who never lived on the lagoon.
Across the water, children who once paddled to school now miss classes, while parents struggle to find food. “We are not against development,” said a community leader. “But development should not kill people and erase their lives.”
In cities like Nairobi and Cape Town, informal settlements are upgraded, not destroyed. For Makoko’s fisherfolk, the demand is simple: justice, compensation and resettlement — not demolition that turns citizens into refugees in their own state.
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