People living in Makoko, a Lagos lagoon community, are angry because the government is tearing down their homes.
They told TheCable that the demolition started on December 22, 2025.
At first, they thought only houses within 30 meters of the high-voltage power lines were going to be destroyed.
These power lines run through their community and near the Third Mainland Bridge.
Messou Abayomi, a resident, said that community leaders and Lagos state Government officials agreed last year that only buildings within that 30-meter zone would be taken down.
Later, they talked about it some more and decided on 50 meters, and then finally settled on 100 meters as the safe distance.
Abayomi said that another round of demolitions on January 4 and 5 went way beyond the 100-meter limit.
The green flag shows the 100-meter mark from the power line, but the demolition has gone past that, Abayomi said.
They’ve gone over 100 meters. They’re even going to 200 meters. They lied to us, he said.
They just showed up with bulldozers and started tearing down houses without warning. And they’re still doing it.
Micheline Sunnuvun, a woman in her 60s, said she didn’t get any notice before her house was destroyed last Friday.
She said her stuff, including bags of garri (a food made from cassava), was ruined, and now she has nowhere to live.
I’ve been sleeping outside by the water since they tore down my house. I use my clothes to cover myself at night. They’ve destroyed everything I need to live, she said in Yoruba.
Another person affected, Wusu John, has lived in Makoko for over 30 years. He’s a fisherman who moved there from Kweme in Badagry to keep fishing.
He said community leaders told him his house was safe because it wasn’t too close to the power lines.
John said the security people with the demolition crew fired tear gas at the residents.
We’ve been here a long time. I was here when they put up these power lines, he said.
We weren’t ready for this. I’ve been here for over 30 years. This is my home. I have nowhere else to go.
When TheCable went to Makoko, some people were sleeping in boats with all their stuff.
Gbolahan Oki, who’s in charge of urban development for Lagos, said the government is doing what’s needed for public safety.
Oki said the government would be responsible if a power line fell into the water.
Demolitions happen in Makoko all the time. The people who live there are always worried about being forced out.
Governments in Lagos have tried to remove the residents many times.
PROTEST AT LAGOS ASSEMBLY
Some Makoko residents went to the Lagos House of Assembly in Ikeja to protest the demolitions.
They asked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to stop the destruction of their community.
The protesters had signs that said things like Save Makoko community, Shelter is our right, and Please leave our homes alone, 100 meters is 100 meters.
