Residents displaced by the recent demolition exercise in the Makoko waterfront community of Lagos State have narrated harrowing experiences of deaths, homelessness and loss of livelihood following the operation, which they say was carried out without adequate notice.
Several residents said that the demolition, allegedly enforced with tear gas, led to the deaths of newborn babies and elderly persons, while hundreds were left without shelter and means of survival.
Papa Eve Amossou, a 30-year-old carpenter who repairs and builds canoes in Makoko, said his three-week-old daughter, Morenikeji, died during the chaos that followed the demolition.
According to him, policemen suddenly fired tear gas as residents were trying to move their belongings.
My wife panicked and jumped into the lagoon with the baby. We didn’t know the baby had died until we got to the hospital,” he said.
Amossou said his house and workshop were demolished, leaving him without a livelihood. He added that his family now sleeps inside a canoe under a bridge, exposed to rain and cold.
What we need now is just a roof over our heads, he pleaded
Twenty-three-year-old fish seller, Justina Adingba, said she lost her first child four days after giving birth when tear gas was fired into the community.
I had just finished bathing my baby when I heard a loud noise. Tear gas filled the air, and my baby started coughing badly,” she said, breaking into tears.
She said the baby died on the way to the General Hospital after several referrals.
I carried the pregnancy for nine months, only for my first child to die like this. This pain will remain with me forever,” she said.
Zinsu Prosper, a tailor, said his 65-year-old mother, Albertine Adjajiklounon, died two days after inhaling tear gas during the demolition.
“She couldn’t breathe properly after the tear gas was fired. We took her to the hospital, but she later died,” he said.
Prosper said his house was also demolished and his mother’s body is currently in a mortuary, with the family struggling to raise burial funds.
Another resident, Zeba Justin, a fish seller, said the government initially announced that only structures within 30 metres of power lines would be affected.
But they kept increasing the distance. Before we knew it, over 400 metres had been demolished, she said.
Justin said she lost three houses belonging to her and her brother and alleged that tear gas was fired without allowing residents to retrieve their belongings.
Juliet Husaken, a pregnant trader and mother of three, said her 12-year-old son now supports the family by ferrying passengers in a canoe.
We survive with the money he makes. Sometimes N3,000 or N4,000,” she said.
Another trader, Petosi Virginia, said she now sleeps inside a church with her five children after her house was demolished.
They didn’t allow us to pick our things. Tear gas destroyed lives. Some people died,” she said.
Across the community, displaced residents appealed to the Lagos State Government for relocation, compensation and humanitarian support.
“Our forefathers were born here. This is all we know,” one resident said.
Many said they fear further demolitions and are calling on the government to halt the exercise, relocate affected families and provide support to those who lost loved ones and livelihoods.
