Outrage as Falana Condemns Lagos Demolitions -‘It’s Unconstitutional’

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has called upon the Lagos State Government to cease what he terms illegal and unconstitutional demolitions of waterfront properties within the state. He cites multiple court rulings that restrain such actions.

In a statement titled “Lagos State Government Must Halt Illegal Demolition of Waterfront Properties,” Falana referenced a significant ruling from June 22, 2017, when the Lagos High Court deemed a series of government-ordered evictions unlawful.

These evictions resulted in over 30,000 residents becoming homeless. Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, who presided over the case, ruled that the evictions infringed on the fundamental rights of the affected individuals and awarded them ₦3.5 million in damages.

The court prohibited any future evictions, a decision that aimed to protect approximately 270,000 residents from losing their homes due to urban development.

The court directed the Lagos State Government to engage with affected communities to develop resettlement plans in line with its urban renewal policy.

Furthermore, Falana highlighted a more recent ruling from August 25, 2025, by Justice F.N. Ogazi of the Federal High Court in Lagos, which prohibits the Lagos State Government, its agencies, and the Nigeria Police Force from conducting further demolitions or evictions in the waterfront communities of Makoko, Oko-Agbon, Sogunro, and Iwaya.

The order aimed to protect residents from what the court described as a “continuous threat and fear of imminent demolition,” following years of tension over alleged forceful land acquisition without compensation or resettlement.

Despite these court orders, Falana accused the Lagos State Government of continuing demolitions, describing it as “a brazen display of executive impunity.” He stated:

“The Lagos State Government has continued to demolish waterfront properties, including schools and medical centres. In the process of these reckless demolitions and evictions, some citizens have lost their lives while thousands of others have been displaced.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Supreme Court clarified that the National Inland Waterways Authority is the only rightful and legal government agency with the powers to exclusively manage, direct, and control all activities on navigable waters and their rights of way throughout the country for inland navigation,” Falana said, citing Sections 8 and 9 of the NIWA Act.

He maintained that, since control of inland waterways rests solely with the Federal Government, the Lagos State Government’s demolitions in waterfront communities are “illegal, unconstitutional, and contemptuous,” describing them as “a glaring sabotage of the judicial arm of government.”

In urging compliance with the court rulings, Falana reminded Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the Supreme Court’s decision in Military Governor of Lagos State v. Chief Emeka Ojukwu, in which even a military government obeyed a court order by restoring possession of disputed property.

“We are compelled to remind Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of this precedent,” Falana said, stressing that lawful governance requires respect for valid and subsisting court orders and the protection of the rights of affected residents.