ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT

Lagos demolition: Over 15,000 may lose homes

byNicholas Ibekwe
September 22, 2015
3 min read

Scores of protesters from Badia East, Ijora, defied the afternoon rain on Monday as they gathered at the Office of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in Alausa, to ask him to stop the Ojora family of Lagos from demolishing and forcefully evicting over 15, 000 people from their homes.

The Lagos State government had demolished part of the community in 2013 but was forced to stop halfway following widespread local and international condemnation.

The state government later secured a World Bank loan to develop the demolished section of the community for the benefit of those whose properties were destroyed.

Now, the area that was spared during the 2013 demolition is being pulled down.

The residents claimed that about 200 police officers led by a man simply identified as Asoju, an agent of the Ojora family, arrived the community last Thursday and started marking houses with red paint. They said the people pasted a notice which stated that their properties were now that of the Ojora Chieftaincy Family.

The residents said the next day, Friday, bulldozers arrived and started destroying houses at about 2 a.m when residents were mostly asleep.

“Within a few hours, thousands of us were outside by the rail line or amidst rubble with what few possessions we could salvage. Thousands of us have no option but to sleep outside,” the community members said in a statement.

The community members said the bulldozers stopped pulling down their houses on Saturday but feared that the demolition would continue on Monday and may spread to other neighbouring communities such as Badia West, and Apataaro.

One of the leaders of the community, Godwin Ilawole, told PREMIUM TIMES that the demolition crew were led by soldiers, police officers, naval officers and members of vigilante group, the Oodua Peoples Congress.

He said the demolition took them by surprise because the Lagos State government had assured them that they would not be evicted until the section demolished in 2013 had been completely developed and they are settled into their new abode.

“The reason we are here to protest is because the former governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, promised that the community will not be demolished. Some of us took loans from banks to invest in the community. Now that our houses have been demolished, we don’t know how to pay back the loans. That is why we are appealing to the government to come to our aid and stop the demolition,” said Jerry Arabame, a resident of the community.

Bimbo Oshobe, another resident of the community, said they Lagos State government had reneged on its promise not to demolish the community by allowing the Ojora family to forcefully evict them from their houses.

Megan Chapman, the co-executive director of a community humanitarian organisation, Justice and Empowerment Initiative, said the Lagos State government is merely using the Ojora family to achieve what it could not in 2013.

“The Lagos state government is saying it is not part of it. They are claiming it is the Ojora chieftaincy family that is behind the demolition. We believe it is the state government. It is waiting for the Ojora family to do whatever they are doing and take over the land. So the people have come here to beg the government to intervene to stop the unlawful eviction that is happening right now.

“The main appeal today is a humanitarian appeal for the government to come and stop what they are doing right now because we suspected if the Ojora finish what they are doing right now, 15,000 people will be displaced from their homes. It is not the way that things should be done. People are left outside, no alternative housing, no proper notice whatsoever and if you go there now you will see people sleeping outside,” Ms. Chapman said.

When contacted, the Oba of Ijoraland and head of the Ojora family, Abdulfatai Aromire, denied that the family illegally evicted the inhabitant of the community.

He said the family was merely executing a court judgment which says the land on which the community is situated belongs to the Ojora family.

“We have gone to court with this people since year 2002 and we have our judgement. The judgement was delivered in March 2014 by Justice Alogba. So we are executing our judgement,” he said.

He also denied that the community were only notified on Thursday.

“Ask them, last year we placed a notice last year that they should come and regularise their papers they didn’t turn up. After a year, we decided to take over our land,” he said.

“He said the place is a den of criminals. That was where two suspected Boko Haram members were arrested. You can come there and see things yourself. We want to clear the place of criminals. It is our property which the court has given to us,” he said.

When contacted, the spokesperson to the Lagos State governor, Habib Haruna, said over the phone the government was aware of the situation and was already trying to resolve the matter.

“The relevant agency and ministry have addressed it and I am sure it will be resolved to the satisfaction of all the parties involved,” he said.

Advertisements



  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

CITIZEN-FM AD


Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: Why women cheat: what every Nigerian man should know







PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Oyo govt. to pay salary arrears this week

Next Post

Sallah: Kwara police to deploy 2,000 officers

Nicholas Ibekwe

Nicholas Ibekwe

Nicholas Ibekwe is PREMIUM TIMES' Head of Investigations. He is a graduate of English Language from the Lagos State University. He has a Master's in International Journalism from City University, London, United Kingdom. Nicholas, who is 2016 fellow of the World Press Fellowship, has won several awards for his work including the Wole Soyinka Prize for Investigative Journalism, two-time finalist, FAIR( Forum for African Investigative Reporters) Award, and Chevening Scholarship. Twitter: @nicholasibekwe 

More News

Ayobami Runsewe, suspected primary school teacher who allegedly had carnal knowledge of a 13- year-old pupil in Ogun.

Police arrest teacher for allegedly raping 13-year-old pupil

May 21, 2022
Groups hold ‘one-million-man march’ for Peter Obi in Lagos

Groups hold ‘one-million-man march’ for Peter Obi in Lagos

May 21, 2022
Search and Rescue operations are ongoing after a four-storey building collapsed in Lagos Island

One dead, many trapped as another building collapses in Lagos

May 21, 2022
An APC Flag

APC clears 17 disqualified House of Assembly aspirants in Ekiti

May 21, 2022
Former Minister Musiliu Obanikoro

Why I’m contesting for Lagos West Senatorial seat -Obanikoro

May 20, 2022
Motorcyclists (Okada riders)

We are after foreigners operating Okada in Lagos – Police commissioner

May 20, 2022
Next Post
Shot suspected suicide bomber a top Kaduna govt official, police say

Sallah: Kwara police to deploy 2,000 officers

Adams Oshiomhole

Bayelsa Election: Oshiomhole warns governorship aspirants against cloning PVCs

Leave Comment

Search

AUN-PT Ad





Transport-Technology


Stanbic Ad


Access Bank Ad





Glo Ad


Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,842,624 other subscribers.

Advertisement






netherland biz school Advert



Zenith Advert

ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • Dubawa
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.