By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
For hundreds of families in Oworonshoki, Lagos, life has been turned upside down as bulldozers rolled into their communities, pulling down houses they had lived in for years. From Oke-Eri to Mosafejo, entire households have been displaced, forced into the streets overnight.
The demolitions, carried out by the Lagos State Government over alleged unapproved developments, began in July 2023 and have continued into this month, leaving thousands homeless. The most recent wave at Ojulari Community came in the dead of night, when enforcement teams stormed the area and flattened marked properties.
Frustrated and homeless, residents took their anger to the Third Mainland Bridge on Monday, blocking a section of the busy road. The protest triggered hours of gridlock before police moved in, firing teargas to disperse the crowd.
Speaking on behalf of the victims, Opeyemi Ogunlami, coordinator of the Coalition of Victims of Oworonshoki Illegal Demolition and the Take It Back Movement, said the exercise had destroyed livelihoods and robbed people of their right to inclusive development.
“This demolition is not development, it is displacement,” Ogunlami said. “We will not stop resisting. If they don’t listen, we will occupy the Third Mainland Bridge. That bridge belongs to the people.”
He also revealed that efforts to involve the Oba of Oworo yielded no support, as the monarch reportedly insisted that parts of the community must give way for development.