Protest rocks Lagos over hunger, demolitions

Hundreds of residents on Friday staged a demonstration in Lagos, marching from Ikeja Bridge to Alausa Secretariat to express their grievances over rising food insecurity and the continuous demolition of residential structures in Oworonshoki.

The demonstration, organised by the Take It Back Movement alongside various civil society groups, drew attention to what protesters described as policies that have rendered numerous families homeless and exacerbated economic difficulties for low-income households in the state.

Eyewitness accounts indicate that participants began gathering at Ikeja Bridge as early as 7:30 a.m., with the procession commencing around 10:00 a.m. toward the state government headquarters in Alausa.

Demonstrators displayed placards with messages including “Stop the Demolitions,” “End Hunger Now,” and “Government Should Protect the Poor,” as they made their way through the streets.

The organising groups criticised what they termed “anti-poor policies” by the state administration, claiming that demolition activities in Oworonshoki and neighbouring areas were executed without adequate notice to residents or provisions for alternative housing for those displaced.

Law enforcement officials, including personnel from the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, were deployed at strategic locations along routes to Alausa to ensure public order and prevent any breakdown of law.

At the time this report was compiled, the protesters had arrived at the Secretariat complex, where they chanted solidarity songs and demanded an audience with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu or a senior government official to formally present their concerns.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​