An informal settlement in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, has been razed to the ground in defiance of a court order, rights activists are saying.
Residents of Otodo-Gbame saw excavators near the entrance to their community in the morning, Megan Chapman, from the Justice & Empowerment Initiative (JEI) which is working with the community, told the BBC.
She added that everything on land was destroyed “and half of what was on water” and nearly 5,000 people have been made homeless.
The future of the community was the subject of a court decision. And activists say that last October the court said that the status quo should be maintained in order to allow for mediation.
The authorities have not commented.
Amnesty International has shared some footage of the demolition taking place: