Brazen officials demolish more houses in Oworonshoki Lagos despite court order

Ebun Emmanuel — October 26, 2025

Few days after the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja issued an injunction restraining further demolitions, residents of the Ojulari community in Oworonshoki, Lagos, on Sunday raised fresh alarm after demolition teams returned late Saturday night to demolish more houses in the area.

The residents claimed that the illegal operation continued unchecked into the early hours of Sunday despite widespread protests and resistance.

They said two bulldozers were deployed for the exercise, adding  that they could not stop the demolition because the those who carried out the illegal actions were accompanied by a large number of police officers.

According to the residents, over 50 armed policemen fired teargas canisters at those that tried close to the demolition site.

One of them said, “We didn’t sleep at all. They came back in the night after we stopped them in the morning. Even now, Sunday morning, the demolition is still ongoing.”

Earlier on Saturday, residents had successfully blocked an initial attempt to demolish homes in the Udi Araba area, a densely populated section overlooking the Lagos Lagoon.

“They started demolishing without marking any building. We quickly mobilised and stopped them, and that was how they left in the morning. But we didn’t know they would return at midnight,” another resident said.

Some residents have accused the Oba of Oworonshoki, Oba Babatunde Saliu, of supporting the demolition to reclaim waterfront lands allegedly meant for private development.

However, the monarch has denied any involvement, stating that he too had previously suffered losses from a similar government-led exercise.

“I was also a victim when I unknowingly built on land that had been acquired by the government. I have no hand in any demolition,” he said.

The Baale of Oworonshoki, Chief Olorunwa Luwa, also condemned the ongoing exercise, insisting it was not sanctioned by any government authority.

“If this were a government-approved operation, it wouldn’t happen at midnight or 3am.

People with genuine property documents are losing their homes to this lawless exercise,” he said.

The affected residents are appealing to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State Ministry of Justice to intervene and enforce the court’s directive.