Nigeria: deadly mass forced evictions leave 30,000 homeless and 11 dead

Amnesty International have called on Nigerian authorities to halt a violent and ruthless campaign of demolitions and forced eviction taking place in Lagos State

Demolitions in Lagos State, Nigeria (Photo: Afripol)
Demolitions in Lagos State, Nigeria (Photo: Afripol)

Nigerian authorities were called on to halt a violent campaign of demolitions and forced eviction of waterfront communities in Lagos state, said Amnesty International today.

The evictions have so far left over 30,000 homeless and 11 dead.

A new report detailed repeated forced evictions of the Otodo-Gbame and Llubirin communities, which have been carried out since March 2016, without any offering any consultation or alternative housing to those affected.

According to the report, some drowned as they fled police gunfire and at least one was shot dead.

“These ruthless forced evictions are just the most recent examples of a practice that has been going on in Nigeria for over a decade in complete defiance of international law”, said Osai Ojigho, Amnesty International Nigeria’s country director.

“For the residents of these deprived communities, many of whom rely on their daily fish catch to make a living, the waterfront represents home, work and survival. Forced evictions mean they lose everything - their livelihoods, their possessions and in some cases their lives.

“The Lagos state authorities must halt these attacks on poor communities who are being punished for the state’s urban planning failures. The instability and uncertainty created by forced evictions is making their lives a misery as they are left completely destitute,” he said.

Between November 2016 and April 2017, Lagos state authorities forcibly evicted over 30,000 residents.

In the first eviction, at midnight on 9 November, police and unidentified armed men chased out residents with teargas and gunfire, reportedly setting homes on fire as bulldozers demolished them.

Evictee Celestine Ahinsu told Amnesty International: “After a couple of days we started seeing the bodies floating. I saw three - a man with a backpack and a pregnant woman with a baby on her back. The community youths brought the bodies from the water. The relatives of the pregnant woman and child came to take their bodies.”

Nine people are believed to have drowned during the eviction and another 15 remain unaccounted for.

Four months later, in March 2017, state security forces backed up by unidentified men armed with machetes, guns and axes forcibly evicted residents who had remained.

When residents protested, they came under attack from police. One man, father of two Daniel Aya, was shot in the neck and killed.

The forced evictions were carried out in direct violation of court orders issued on 7 November 2016 and 26 January 2017. In some cases, residents were evicted while they showed police a copy of the court order that was supposed to prevent the government from demolishing their homes.

Meanwhile, 823 residents of the nearby Ilubirin community were forcibly evicted between 19 March 2016 and 22 April 2017.

 

Why is this happening?

The Lagos government’s explanations for these forced evictions have been repeatedly inconsistent.

In November 2016, it denied any responsibility for the forced evictions and blamed them on a communal clash that resulted in fires which razed down the community.

In March 2017, the government said its actions that month were taken to protect environmental health.

On 9 October 2016, the Lagos Governor stated that waterfront demolitions are intended to stem a rise in kidnappings in the state, alleging that irregular structures serve as hideouts for criminals.

In April 2017, the State Ministry of Justice said the government forcibly evicted thousands of Otodo-Gbame residents because it had reason to believe that “militants are hiding amongst the people in the Otodo-Gbame and are perfecting plans to attack the Lekki and Victoria Island environs using the settlement as a base”.

“While the state may need to address security and environmental concerns, destroying people’s homes and forcibly evicting thousands who live along the Lagos waterfronts is a completely disproportionate response and is not the answer. Forced evictions are totally prohibited under international law and never justified,” said Osai Ojigho.