Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, has called on the Nigerian government to withdraw the 21-day ultimatum given to residents of waterfront communities in Oworonshoki to vacate their homes.
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) had ordered the residents to vacate or be forcefully evicted over alleged contravention of the NIWA Act.
The residents told Amnesty International that the proposed demolition has been prompted by alleged plans by the Lagos State government to sell the area to private estate developers.
They alleged that the plan had been made without consideration for alternative accommodation, thereby rendering the residents homeless.
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“This fresh threat of forced eviction violates the right to adequate housing of the communities. NIWA and the Lagos government must halt these attacks on poor communities that are punished for the state’s urban planning failures.
“The trend in which Lagos authorities forcibly evict communities and hand over the land to private developers will only create a mega city that excludes the poor,” the Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi said.
The group noted that the Lagos State government has been consistently violating the residents’ right to adequate housing – and in some cases, doing so with utter disregard for court orders.
It said that NIWA and the state government have an obligation to comply with international human rights law, which completely prohibits forced evictions.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Boko Haram kidnaps over 400 people in Borno – Amnesty International
Recall that between 24 July to 1 August 2023, the Lagos State government forcibly evicted thousands of residents of Oke-Eri, Oluwaseyi, Cornerstone, Ogo-Oluwa and other communities of Oworonshoki, without consultation and adequate notice.
The action left more than 7,000 buildings either burned or demolished.
Between November 2016 and April 2017, Lagos State authorities also forcibly and violently evicted more than 30,000 residents from the Otodo-Gbame community on the outskirts of Lagos city.
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