Across Africa, forced evictions continue to generate controversy as governments pursue urban renewal, environmental protection, and infrastructure expansion. From informal waterfront settlements in Lagos to forest communities in Kenya, the challenge remains the same: how to balance development priorities with the rights, safety, and livelihoods of vulnerable populations.
Findings by THE WHISTLER show that recent experiences in Kenya, Morocco, and Uganda offer policy lessons that Lagos State could study as it continues clearance exercises in several informal settlements.
Amnesty International defines a forced eviction as the removal of individuals or communities from the homes or land they occupy against their will, carried out without adequate legal protection or necessary safeguards.
“A forced eviction is the removal of people against their will from the homes or land they occupy without legal protections and other safeguards,” the rights group said in a 2011 report on Ghana.
Under international human rights law, according to Amnesty International, evictions should occur only as a measure of last resort, after all viable alternatives have been carefully considered. Even when eviction becomes unavoidable, it must follow strict legal and procedural standards. These include meaningful consultation with affected residents, sufficient prior notice, provision of adequate alternative housing, and compensation for losses incurred.
It added that authorities must also ensure proper oversight of how evictions are conducted and guarantee access to legal remedies, including legal aid where required. Importantly, governments have an obligation to prevent evictions from leaving individuals homeless or exposed to further human rights violations.
Lagos Demolitions And Growing Debate
In Lagos State, thousands of residents in communities such as Makoko, Oworonshoki, Ilaje-Otumara, Owode Onirin, and Baba Ijora have been displaced under urban renewal and safety enforcement programmes. Authorities insist the actions are necessary to prevent disasters associated with unsafe settlements, particularly structures located under high-tension power lines and other hazardous infrastructure corridors.
Speaking at a press briefing, the Special Adviser to the Governor on eGIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, said the Makoko demolitions were part of a broader statewide safety initiative designed to prevent fire outbreaks, infrastructure failures, and related emergencies.
He added that the state government had set aside about $2m since 2021 for the redevelopment of the Makoko waterfront and was working with international partners to mobilise additional funding.
“Clearing high-tension corridors is a safety requirement across Lagos State. The action taken in Makoko is consistent with what has been done in other communities,” Babatunde said.
“We need to do what we have to do. If we don’t, then we are endangering the lives of the people. However, we need to do it in a systematic way. We have to do it according to international conventions.”
Additional $8m is expected from the United Nations. He, however, noted that with shrinking funding to donor agencies and multilateral organisations, the state government is looking inward for a solution.
“Mr. Governor committed $2m for the redevelopment of the community, and we are expecting $8m in counterpart funding from the United Nations, but I am sure we all know what is happening today. There are funds that are no longer available to most of those donor agencies and multilateral organisations.
“And what we need to do is to look inwards, and this is why the Lagos State Government, together with our international partners, are calling on different donor agencies, the international community and various business organisations within and outside Nigeria to support us,” Babatunde said.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also defended the exercise, stating that evacuation notices had been issued more than two years before the demolition of structures built within the 150–250 metre safety corridor of high-tension power lines. According to the governor, the intervention was carried out in the collective interest of residents and did not target the entire Makoko community.
“People need to understand that it is a big city we are dealing with, and the emergency and safety of lives and properties are paramount that we need to prioritise. Of what interest would it be for the government to want to unduly demolish anybody’s property? What interest if it is not for the overall safety of the citizens we are talking about?
“A lot of the people have built shanties under the high-tension wire, and the regulation is that you need to clear between 150 and 250 metres away from the high-tension wire. We are not demolishing the whole of Makoko; we are clearing the shanties so they do not get to the Third Mainland Bridge and stay behind the high tension,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Despite these assurances, civil society organisations and community advocates have criticised the demolitions, arguing that they often occur without comprehensive resettlement plans or clearly defined compensation mechanisms.
Rights activist, Hassan Soweto, alleged that at least 53 people died during demolition-related incidents in Oworonshoki, Makoko, and Owode Onirin, while advocacy groups warn that repeated evictions are worsening urban poverty by pushing displaced residents into even more precarious settlements.
“This wasn’t a normal arrest, in the sense that you arrested someone because they have cases or charges they need to answer to. I was abducted in order for the Commissioner of Police and his men, in their own words, to teach me a lesson for exposing the brutality of the police in different communities where demolitions have been taking place — brutality in the form of the killing of at least 53 people in Oworoshoki, Makoko, and Owode Onirin,” Soweto told THE WHISTLER.
He was recently arrested following his protests against demolition exercises in communities including Makoko, Owode Onirin, and Oworoshoki.
Justice & Empowerment Initiatives (JEI) co-founder, Megan Chapman, said years of engagement with the Lagos State Government on alternatives to forced eviction had produced limited results, alleging that communities that participated in collaborative planning efforts were later demolished.
“We have spent the last few years trying to build engagement with the Lagos State Government around alternatives to forced eviction. The last two years, the same Government has systematically destroyed nearly every community that put its hopes and efforts into participatory planning toward a win-win partnership, defaulting instead to mass land grab in service of powerful private interests,” she told THE WHISTLER.
Kenya Conservation Policies And Indigenous Land Rights.
Source: The Whistler
