Families lament loss of homes and livelihoods in Oworonshoki
Days after the Lagos State Government’s midnight demolition of waterfront settlements on Tolu Alashe Street in Oworonshoki, Lagos, hundreds of residents — including women, children, and the elderly — remain stranded in the open without shelter or basic necessities.
When Vanguard revisited the area on Wednesday, the once-bustling neighborhood had transformed into a field of rubble. Scattered roofing sheets, broken blocks, and remnants of household items were seen across the dusty stretch where families once lived and traded peacefully.
Many residents sat in despair beside the debris that used to be their homes. Some struggled to salvage personal belongings, while others attempted to sell off whatever items survived the destruction to raise money for food and temporary shelter.
“I wanted to end my life,” displaced mother recounts ordeal
Among those left stranded is Mrs. Rebecca, a food vendor and mother of one, who said she was contemplating suicide after losing her home, shop, and savings during the demolition exercise.
“I just came back from the hospital,” she began weakly, sitting beside a rusted pot and a broken standing fan. “I have a spinal cord problem. After some treatment, I returned home that night, hoping to sell a few things before my rent expired. But they came at midnight and destroyed everything.”
Rebecca said she had recently paid ₦360,000 for a two-room apartment, only for it to be demolished days later. “I wanted to kill myself, but my sister stopped me,” she said tearfully.
Before the demolition, she sold cooked food to support her family. Now, she has been forced to sell her remaining possessions — including her standing fan — to scrap buyers just to survive.
“I bought that fan for ₦35,000, but the buyer offered me ₦1,000. I have no choice,” she said. “I need money to eat and for treatment. Everywhere I turn, there is no help.”
Across the demolished site, several women were seen haggling with scrap collectors (“aboki”) over the sale of their salvaged household items. The atmosphere was tense, filled with grief and uncertainty about what comes next.
Residents recall midnight demolition
Another victim, Mrs. Jumai, who had lived in the community for ten years, narrated how she and her children narrowly escaped the demolition at midnight.
“They came around 11 p.m.,” she said. “We were sleeping when our neighbors started shouting that the bulldozers were close. We carried what we could and ran out.”
Jumai, who ran a small pepper soup and drinks business, said her shop and home were located in the same compound, both of which were destroyed.
“My house and shop were together — everything is gone,” she lamented. “My children’s school was also pulled down. I don’t even know where to start their schooling again.”
Humanitarian concerns grow as victims sleep in the open
With the demolitions carried out without advance relocation support, several affected families are now sleeping outdoors in makeshift shelters made of tarpaulin and zinc sheets. The displaced residents say they have not received any official communication or relief materials from the government since the exercise.
Community leaders and humanitarian volunteers who visited the area appealed to the Lagos State Government to provide emergency relief, including temporary accommodation and food supplies for the victims.
A volunteer who gave her name simply as Aisha said the situation was “a humanitarian emergency in the making.”
“Most of the displaced people are women and children,” she said. “They are sleeping in the open under harsh weather, without access to food, clean water, or toilets. We are appealing to the government and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene.”
Government yet to issue statement
As of the time of filing this report, officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development had yet to issue a formal statement regarding the demolition or potential plans for the resettlement of affected residents.
However, government sources hinted that the operation may have been part of an ongoing effort to clear illegal waterfront structures deemed unsafe or obstructive to environmental rehabilitation projects in the area.
Urban development experts have continued to urge authorities to balance city planning initiatives with humanitarian considerations, especially when vulnerable populations are affected.
For now, the Oworonshoki demolition has left a once-thriving community in ruins — and hundreds of its residents in search of hope, help, and a place to call home again.
