There was pandemonium and heartbreak in Oworonshoki, Lagos State, as bulldozers reportedly stormed the Ojulari community at midnight on Saturday, pulling down several residential buildings in a shocking demolition operation that continued into the early hours of Sunday.
Residents said the exercise, which they described as a “coordinated night assault,” was carried out under heavy police presence. Eyewitnesses told reporters that over 50 armed policemen fired teargas canisters through the night to disperse residents who attempted to resist the demolition.
“We didn’t sleep at all. They came back in the night after we stopped them in the morning. Even now, Sunday morning, the demolition is still ongoing,” lamented Olanrewaju Segun, a distraught resident.
According to witnesses, the operation involved two bulldozers and multiple patrol vehicles. By dawn, dozens of houses had been reduced to rubble, leaving many families stranded and confused.
Earlier on Saturday morning, residents had blocked an initial attempt to demolish homes in the Udi Araba section of the community — a densely populated area overlooking the Lagos Lagoon.
“They started demolishing without marking any building. We stopped them in the morning, not knowing they would return at midnight,” another resident said.
The demolitions have sparked widespread outrage, with some locals accusing the Oba of Oworonshoki, Oba Babatunde Saliu, of backing the operation to reclaim waterfront lands allegedly marked for private development.
However, the monarch denied any involvement, saying he too had been a past victim of government land acquisition.
“I was also a victim when I unknowingly built on government-acquired land. I have no hand in this demolition,” Oba Saliu clarified.
Meanwhile, the Baale of Oworonshoki, Chief Olorunwa Luwa, condemned the act, calling it illegal and inhumane.
“If this were a government-approved operation, it wouldn’t happen at midnight. People with genuine property documents are losing their homes in this lawless exercise,” he said.
As of Sunday morning, residents said the demolitions were still ongoing, with scores of families left homeless, their properties scattered across the ruins.
