Mass Evictions in Lagos Displace Thousands Including Baby Twins Now Living in a Canoe
A family including five-month-old baby twins has been forced to live in a wooden canoe after their home in a historic Lagos neighbourhood was demolished without warning. Victor Ahansu was barely awake with his wife and infant twins when the grinding sound of bulldozers woke them, providing the only alert before they fled the mass evictions in their community of Makoko.
Historic Community Destroyed
Their house was demolished on January 11th, one of thousands taken down in an ongoing operation that has displaced approximately 10,000 people since late December according to local advocacy groups. The twins and their parents now live in a wooden canoe with only a woven plastic sack for shelter from the elements, while the constant thump of hammers fills the air as other residents salvage what they can from their destroyed homes.
"I have not even been able to go to work to make money, because I don't want to leave my wife and children, and the government comes again," Ahansu, a fisherman, explained to The Associated Press.
Decades of Waterfront Living
For generations, tens of thousands of people have lived in homes on stilts above the lagoon in Makoko, one of Africa's oldest and largest waterfront communities. Established in the 19th century, the area has been nicknamed the "Venice of Africa" by outsiders for its network of narrow streets and waterways.
To many Nigerians, Makoko has long been distinctive, while nonprofit organisations have used it as a testing ground for innovative ideas like floating schools. However, to some developers and authorities, it represents valuable waterfront property currently occupied by some of the megacity's poorest residents.
Legal Framework and Protests
Although Makoko's residents have lived there legally, Nigeria's Land Law permits the government to take any land deemed fit for public purpose. This has created a long history of mass evictions in the rapidly developing city of approximately 20 million people on the Gulf of Guinea.
On Wednesday, hundreds of people protested the mass evictions across Lagos, with police dispersing them using tear gas. Advocacy groups estimate that hundreds of thousands have lost their homes since 2023 when the current state government took office.
Conflicting Explanations
Residents told the AP that the Lagos state government initially asked people to move 100 meters from an electricity line, but then the demolitions continued far beyond this boundary. Officials at the state's Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development declined to answer specific questions about the Makoko demolitions.
However, they pointed to recent comments by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who defended the evictions by citing safety risks and claiming communities had spread too close to critical infrastructure.
Displacement Without Compensation
Basirat Kpetosi sat atop the ruins of her waterfront home in Makoko, frying dough in sizzling oil for sale after her house was torn down on January 9th. "We sleep in the open," Kpetosi said. "When it rained, it rained on my children and me."
She explained that she built the home on the lagoon last year using bamboo and aluminium sheets, creating two rooms on stilts for her family of five children. They received no compensation for its destruction, and the government is making no plans for their resettlement despite legal requirements.
Legal Precedent Ignored
In a 2017 ruling by the Lagos High Court seen by the AP, the judge determined that mass eviction without resettlement violated the "fundamental right to protection from cruel and degrading treatment." This legal precedent appears to have been disregarded in the current wave of demolitions.
Broader Context of Lagos Development
As Lagos' population continues to increase, people in low-income communities like Makoko find themselves caught between government efforts to develop the megacity and their basic need for shelter. Residents suspect that space in the Makoko area has been allotted to private construction companies, though the AP couldn't verify this allegation.
"I think that when the government is looking for centrally located land and since other places are filled up, there is the idea that you can clear away communities because they are less privileged," said Megan Chapman, co-director for the Justice and Empowerment Initiatives, an advocacy group for displaced communities in Lagos.
Limited Alternatives for Displaced Residents
Those being displaced face severely limited options in a city with some of Africa's highest rents. A single room in a tenement house where dozens share bathrooms can cost 700,000 naira annually (approximately $500) in a city where the minimum wage is just 77,000 naira ($55).
The community has survived past demolition attempts, usually when public outcry intervenes, but the current wave appears particularly extensive and devastating for residents who have called Makoko home for generations.
