A non-governmental organisation, Kreative Arts Foundation for Community Engagement, has condemned the forced evictions of Ayetoro and Oko Baba communities in the Lagos Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The two communities were forcefully evicted between September 14 and 16, leaving thousands of families, including children and the elderly without a roof over their head.
According to members of the affected communities, thugs accompanied by armed policemen descended on their communities without any form of prior notice, setting fire on the structures. By the time they were finished, thousands of families were left in desperate conditions.
A statement by Kreative Arts Foundation for Community Engagement signed by its Executive Director, Willie Workman Oga, described the manner of the evictions as barbaric.
“The manner of the eviction is crude, barbaric and uncivilized. How do you descend on your citizens as if you’re fighting enemies in a war?” Oga queried.
He faulted the Lagos government for not making any plans in resettling the thousands of families whose shelters it demolished according to the victims.
“Thousands of families in Ayetoro and Oko Baba are now without a home. Their little possessions burnt in the fire that was set on those homes. Even more troubling is that it is happening at a time when middle class Nigerians are struggling to get by. What will now be the fate of these poor folks?” Oga asked.
Oga urged the Lagos State government to urgently take the responsibility of resettling and rehabilitating the displaced members of the communities.
“The government must live up to its responsibilities. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is clear. The security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of the government. We expect the government to remediate the damage already done to these communities by resettling them immediately because this action have also affected their peaceful coexistence and means of livelihood.
