No fewer than 80,000 residents of Makoko and neighbouring waterfront communities have become homelessness, following the Lagos State Government decision to pull down structures despite of court order banning the exercise in the state.
The demolition exercise, which began just two days before Christmas, initially targeted buildings within a 30-metre setback from a high-tension power line running between the waterfront settlements and the Third Mainland Bridge.
Community members said they cooperated peacefully with this first phase after being assured that the exercise complied with Lagos State Building Control Regulations and that compensation or relief would be provided for affected residents.
But the promises were never kept, a development the community leaders and civil society groups describe as an ongoing mass forced eviction by the Lagos State Government in violation of court orders.
As gathered, the demolition teams worked almost daily—pausing only on Christmas Day—leaving thousands displaced. Many residents were forced to crowd into already overstretched homes of relatives or sleep in open wooden canoes on the lagoon, exposed to cold, rain and mosquitoes.
Tensions escalated on when swamp buggies, also known as amphibious excavators, suddenly moved beyond the legally prescribed 30-metre setback and began destroying homes deeper inside Makoko.
Residents said the action came without notice and directly contradicted earlier assurances from the government that the setback clearance would protect the rest of the community.
Protests erupted across Makoko between 4 and 5 January. Witnesses said police officers accompanying the demolition squads responded with heavy force, firing teargas indiscriminately across the community while several houses were reportedly set ablaze amid the chaos.
As clashes unfolded, community leaders rushed to the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development in Alausa, where they were informed that the government now intended to clear a much wider setback—up to 100 metres or more—despite there being no legal provision for such an expansion.
As of 9 January 2026, demolitions had reportedly pushed beyond the 100-metre mark and were still ongoing, raising fears of a humanitarian catastrophe. Data from a 2020–2021 house-numbering exercise conducted by Makoko youth groups with support from the Nigerian Slum/Informal Settlement Federation and Justice & Empowerment Initiatives (JEI) estimated the population of Makoko’s four villages at over 80,000, with tens of thousands more living in nearby Oko Agbon and Sogunro communities.
Community representatives warn that if the demolitions are not halted immediately, the number of displaced persons could exceed 100,000.
Makoko, founded more than a century ago, is widely regarded as one of Lagos’ most iconic communities, known internationally for its stilt houses, vibrant fishing economy and rich cultural heritage. Fish smoked and traded in Makoko supplies a significant portion of Lagos’ food markets. Residents say the destruction of the community threatens not only homes but livelihoods that sustain families across the city.
“This eviction is taking place during the festive season and amid the worst economic crisis Nigeria has seen in decades,” a joint statement by affected residents and civil society organisations said. “Families are being torn apart, children can no longer attend school, and people are left without shelter to protect themselves from looting, sexual assault, harsh weather and disease.”
The Makoko demolitions are the latest in what activists describe as the worst wave of mass forced evictions since the military era. Since July 2023, hundreds of thousands of Lagos residents have reportedly been displaced, beginning with waterfront communities in Oworonshoki and continuing through Orisunmibare, Otto, Oko Baba, Aiyetoro, Ilaje Otumara and Baba Ijora, among others.
Critics allege that many of these demolitions were carried out in defiance of subsisting court orders and despite ongoing engagements between communities and the state government on community-led regeneration and inclusive urban planning.
Adding to the controversy, residents point to ongoing sand-filling activities for luxury real estate development by a private firm, FBT Coral Estate Limited, in areas close to the demolished zones near the Third Mainland Bridge. They allege this shows collusion between government agencies and powerful private developers, prioritising elite interests over the rights of long-established communities.
Civil society groups have called on both the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government to immediately halt the demolitions at Makoko, Oko Agbon and Sogunro, warning that Lagos risks losing an irreplaceable cultural landmark while tens of thousands of citizens are plunged into deeper poverty and homelessness.
“If this continues,” the statement warned, “Lagos will have destroyed an icon that cannot be rebuilt, in the name of development that excludes the very people who give the city life.”
