…Calls Out Lagos State Government for Defying Court Orders, Assaulting Residents
Human rights and urban justice organization, Spaces for Change (S4C), has strongly condemned the demolition of over 100 homes in the Oworonshoki area of Lagos State, describing the action as illegal, inhumane, and a gross violation of court orders.
According to preliminary findings by S4C, the demolitions were carried out by the Lagos State Government Task Force, comprising officials from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA). The exercise, which began around midnight on October 26, 2025, was reportedly accompanied by over 50 armed police officers, catching many residents unaware and asleep inside their homes.
Eyewitnesses alleged that protesting residents were brutalized by armed officers attached to the Task Force. Viral videos circulating on social media show policemen firing live rounds directly at protesters attempting to resist the demolition.
In a statement signed by Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director of Spaces for Change, the organization revealed that the Oworonshoki matter is currently before the High Court of Lagos State in Suit No. ID/9910GCM/2025. On October 23, 2025, the Court had granted an interim injunction restraining the Lagos State Government, the Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, and LASBCA from further demolishing properties located on Ajileru Street, Ososa Extension, and Toluwalase Extension within the Itesiwaju Ajumoni Community Development Area, Oworonshoki.
Despite the subsisting court order, state officials proceeded with the demolitions, razing residential buildings and displacing numerous families without allowing them to retrieve their belongings.
S4C noted that the latest demolition comes less than a month after similar actions at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, raising serious concerns about the state government’s disregard for the rule of law and citizens’ property rights.
“This action reinforces the Lagos State Government’s contempt for the right to property guaranteed under Section 43 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
“The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, in SERAP v. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2002) 2 CHR 537 at 562, established that the right to shelter, derived from the right to property, requires the state to refrain from demolishing citizens’ homes or hindering reconstruction. The government must respect housing rights and desist from policies or actions that violate human dignity and security,” S4C added.
Spaces for Change therefore called on the Lagos State Government to immediately halt further demolitions in compliance with existing court orders. The organization also demanded that: Affected victims be compensated, relocated, or resettled appropriately. Security officers involved in the violent assaults on protesters be identified and prosecuted.
Reaffirming its commitment to housing and urban justice, S4C stated it will continue to monitor developments in Oworonshoki and intensify advocacy for human rights–based urban planning reforms across Lagos State.
