The Lagos State House of Assembly has invited leaders of communities affected by the demolition of structures in Makoko and adjoining waterfront settlements to a meeting on Tuesday.
Nigerian Mirror learnt on Sunday that the invitation was conveyed in a letter dated Jan. 26, 2026, and signed by the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko.
The letter said the meeting was convened in response to a petition submitted by the communities over the demolition and eviction of residents. It invited the leaders to appear before the House Committee on Rules and Business at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, at the Chamber’s Conference Room, Assembly Complex, Alausa, Ikeja, and requested that they present relevant documents to aid deliberations.
“I write to acknowledge the receipt of your petition dated 14th January, 2026, on the above subject and invite you to a meeting with the Committee on Rules and Business on Tuesday, 3rd February, 2026,” the letter read.
The invitation comes amid sustained protests and growing hardship following the demolition of homes and other structures in the waterfront communities in recent months.
Residents and human rights groups have accused the government of carrying out the demolitions without adequate notice, compensation or resettlement plans, leaving many families homeless. During a visit to the community over the weekend, Nigerian Mirror observed that some displaced residents were living in boats, while others were squatting with neighbours whose wooden structures had not yet been demolished. Some residents have also relocated to other parts of the state.
Community leaders alleged that the demolition went beyond the initially agreed safety setbacks from high-tension power lines, destroying homes, schools and small clinics and forcing children out of school.
A community chief, Francis Samson, said the understanding with the government was that only structures within 30 metres of the power lines along the lagoon would be removed. He alleged, however, that the exercise extended to about 520 metres.
“Before the demolition, the Permanent Secretary for Physical Planning, Gbolahan Oki, called us community leaders three times and said they wanted to remove structures within 30 metres of the power line,” Samson said. “But when the demolition started, it went far beyond that. Where they eventually stopped is about 520 metres. With this, the waterfront communities have been destroyed.”
Samson added that many residents, most of whom are fishermen, had been displaced from their livelihoods, with some now living on boats. He also alleged that deaths were recorded during and after the demolition.
“During the demolition, tear gas canisters were fired. Three children and two adults have died,” he claimed.
Another community leader, Oluwo Felix Fasinu, echoed the concerns, saying repeated appeals to the government to clearly demarcate the boundary had not been heeded.
“What we want is for the government to clearly define the boundary we should not exceed. They cannot displace us entirely after most of us have spent our entire lives here,” Fasinu said.
A resident, who identified himself only as Mautin, said the demolition had reduced many to homelessness. “Sleeping inside a boat or in the open space is not something anyone should experience,” he said, appealing to the government for assistance or relocation to a riverside area to enable residents continue fishing.
Efforts to get a response from the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Stephen Ogundipe, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Nigerian Mirror had earlier reported that a carpenter, Papa Eve Amossou, said he lost his three-week-old daughter during the demolition after his wife, carrying the baby, jumped into the lagoon while fleeing tear gas fired by security operatives.
