The Lagos State Government is facing widespread criticism after allegedly violating a court injunction by demolishing more than 100 residential properties in the Oworonshoki area, leaving hundreds of residents homeless.
On October 23, 2025, the Ikeja High Court, presided over by Justice A.G. Balogun, issued an interim injunction restraining the Lagos State Government, the Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) from carrying out demolitions in the Itesiwaju Ajumoni Community Development Area. The order covered properties located on Ajileru Street, Ososa Extension, and Toluwalase Extension, pending compliance with the Pre-Action Protocol for Land Matters. The case was adjourned to December 9, 2025, for a compliance update.
However, residents reported that in the early hours of Saturday morning, bulldozers, escorted by armed security personnel, arrived at the community and began demolishing homes without notice. Witnesses described scenes of panic as families, including vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant women, and children, were forced out in the dead of night.
“Our homes were demolished in the middle of the night despite a valid court injunction. People slept outside in the cold with their children. It was heartbreaking,” said an affected resident, Mr. Adewale.
Another resident, a pregnant woman identified as Adenike, called the incident “traumatic and inhumane.”
Some residents accused the Oba of Oworonshoki, Oba Babatunde Saliu, of supporting the demolition to reclaim waterfront land for private development. The monarch denied the allegations, stating that he had previously been a victim of similar demolitions on government-acquired land.
The Baale of Oworonshoki, Chief Olorunwa Luwa, condemned the operation, questioning the legality of a demolition executed at 3 a.m.
“If this was a lawful exercise, it would not be carried out in the middle of the night. People with valid documents are being unlawfully displaced,” he said.
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, accused the Lagos State Government of contempt of court. According to him, more than 50 police officers and armed individuals accompanied the demolition team, using teargas and force to remove occupants despite the subsisting court order.
Falana referenced the historic 1986 Supreme Court ruling in Military Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu, which condemned the government’s use of force in defiance of court authority, warning that such actions erode democracy and public confidence in the judicial system.
Demolitions in Oworonshoki have reportedly been ongoing since 2023. Residents claim that homes are being destroyed without adequate compensation or relocation plans. Earlier this month, protesters took to the streets of Alausa, describing the demolitions as “state-backed eviction and hardship.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government maintains that the exercise is part of an urban renewal initiative and insists that the affected properties were structurally unsafe and posed environmental hazards.
