Wednesday, September 10, 2025 - The Lagos State Chapter of the Take It Back Movement has condemned the ongoing demolition of homes in Oworonshoki, Kosofe Local Council, which has left thousands of families displaced and destitute.
The group accused the state government of abandoning
citizens it swore to protect.
In a statement, Adekunle Adeyemi Taofeek, Lagos State
Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, called for an immediate halt to the
demolitions across the state and the prosecution of officials and collaborators
allegedly involved.
He said that at about 1:00 a.m. on Friday, September 6,
2025, heavily armed agents of the Lagos State government stormed Oworonshoki
under the cover of darkness, pulling down houses and ejecting residents, many
of whom were asleep with their families. According to him, teargas canisters
were fired at youths and community members who tried to record the incident.
“This is nothing short of state-sponsored terrorism against
the poor. This barbaric exercise is not an isolated event; it is a continuation
of a demolition campaign that began in July 2023, during which over 1,000 homes
were destroyed and more than 30,000 people, including women, children, and the
elderly, were rendered homeless.
“The agenda is clear: to dispossess working-class people of
their ancestral land in Oworonshoki and hand it over to the wealthy elite for
profit. This brazen land-grabbing scheme exposes the wicked collusion between
the Lagos State government, real estate profiteers, and sadly, traditional
rulers.
“We must state clearly that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has
blood on his hands. His government has demonstrated once again that it
prioritises the greed of the rich over the survival of the poor. No society can
claim to be democratic while forcefully making its citizens homeless at
midnight.
The movement also demanded adequate compensation and
resettlement for affected families, and an end to what it described as mass
displacement and land grabbing disguised as “urban renewal.” It stressed that
the right to shelter is a fundamental human right.
“We will not stand by while Lagosians are turned into
refugees in their land. The Take It Back Movement stands firmly with the people
of Oworonshoki in resistance, and we will mobilise every democratic and legal
means to stop this wickedness,” the statement added.
Responding to inquiries, Lagos State Commissioner for
Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said: “The Governor, Babajide
Sanwo-Olu, has directed a pause in the demolition for dialogue. Government
officials were present and peace has been restored. The demolition is part of
the Urban Renewal Programme (URP), so the government will discuss compensation
and other matters.”
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