Makoko demolitions leave thousands homeless as Lagos clears waterfront settlement

Residents of Makoko, one of Lagos’ oldest fishing communities, are struggling to survive after the Lagos State government demolished parts of the densely populated waterfront settlement, leaving thousands without shelter and livelihoods.

Bulldozers moved into sections of Makoko in late December, pulling down wooden homes and shops built on stilts above the lagoon. State authorities say the demolitions were carried out for safety and urban planning reasons, citing environmental risks and the presence of buildings near high-voltage power lines.

But displaced residents say they received little or no warning and were left with nowhere to go.

“On January 9th, the government came to demolish my house. We were not informed,” said Kpetosi Basirat, a local trader. “Since then, we have had nowhere to go. When it rained, it fell on us and our belongings. We are still here with the remains of our property.”

The demolitions have hit fishing families particularly hard. Victor Ahansu, a fisherman, said his wife was hospitalized shortly after the demolition, shortly after giving birth to twins.

“This is where my family and I are sleeping now, and it’s not safe,” he said. “Many of our belongings were destroyed. If not for God, I would have lost one of my twins because of the tear gas that was thrown.”

Fear and uncertainty remain widespread among displaced residents, especially as the rainy season approaches.

“What scares me the most is that we don’t know where to sleep,” said Usa Andrew. “When it starts raining, where do we go from here?”

Makoko, often described as a floating slum, has existed for decades and is home to tens of thousands of people who depend largely on fishing and small-scale trading. As Lagos continues its rapid urban expansion, rights groups warn that redevelopment is increasingly pushing low-income communities off valuable waterfront land without adequate resettlement plans.

For many in Makoko, the demolitions have turned daily survival into an urgent struggle for shelter, safety and dignity.