A number of women and children have been displaced due to the actions of the Lagos State Government, which involved the demolition of houses in the Oworoshoki region of the state.
It has been ascertained that a minimum of six streets were impacted by the demolition process that commenced on the previous Monday.
Additionally, the task force has issued a warning that additional streets may face demolition today, (Monday).
According to The PUNCH, it was gathered that several children and elderly women were seen sleeping outside their burnt houses while some others were taking refuge inside abandoned tricycles.
It has been discovered that several streets, including Oke-Eri, Oluwaseyi, Community, Cornerstone, Ogo-Oluwa, Lagos, and others, which collectively accommodate a minimum of 7,000 structures, have been reduced to ashes and trash.
During an interview with journalists, a septuagenarian resident in Oke-Eri, referred to as Mama Alhaji, expressed that her charcoal enterprise had been adversely affected by the conflagration.
The teary-aged woman who had lived in the area for over 33 years said, “They came to this place without notice. I have been living here for the past 33 years. My house was at number 32, Oke-Eri. They didn’t give us any notice. On Monday, we heard some houses were burnt around the riverbank.
“Not long after that, they came to Oke-Eri and demolished several buildings that were opposite mine. When I saw that the houses opposite mine had been demolished, I started packing some of my belongings out of the place. But before I came back on Friday, my house and several bags of charcoal valued at over N60,000 had been burnt.”
A different resident, who is a mother of five, expressed that almost half of her personal possessions were lost due to the demolition. Additionally, she mentioned that all five of her children are currently seeking refuge in a local church within the vicinity.
The widow said, “I was not around when they came. Before I came back, half of our belongings had been burnt. My five children and I have nowhere to go. It was one of my friends who were also affected by the demolition that advised us to go and be managing inside a church that is nearby. This is where we have been living since the destruction of our homes on Friday.”
It was discovered that a family of eight had their four-bedroom flat destroyed, along with a shop that the wife was running.
The father, who went by the name Mr. Akande, claimed the state government should have informed the locals. He bemoaned the fact that the task force gassed the locals and broke the phones of witnesses who were filming the burning.
Akande said, “The youth were prevented from taking pictures and filming the task force. They seized people’s phones and smashed others. My four-room apartment including my wife’s shop was burnt. I have all the documents including the survey. They should have informed us before they come here.”
A community leader who requested anonymity claimed that the government had only informed them that wooden houses along the riverbank would be destroyed. He added that they were shocked to see that the houses were being burned and destroyed while residents were unable to remove their possessions.
The source said, “When the community leaders saw the demolition of buildings in Ifako Bus Stop, they said they were taking out wooden houses along the riverbank. They said they don’t want any building 50 metres from the river.
“But on Friday, suddenly over 200 policemen and some of them wearing masks to cover their identities, invaded the community. We contacted everyone we know in the government. They all told us that they were not aware of the demolition.”
When contacted on Sunday, the director of public affairs for the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Odunuga, was not available for comment.
