United Nations probes Nigeria about forceful eviction of Egun community from Lagos
The displacement of thousands of residents from Otodo Gbame, an Egun community in the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos by some irate Yoruba youths has attracted a probe by the United Nations.
United Nations issued a demand for urgent information from Nigeria about the forceful eviction of the residents on Thursday, amid reports of brutality and possible breaches of human rights laws.
The Egun community had been attacked a week ago by some Yoruba youths who reportedly set fire to their makeshift homes, prompting many residents to drown while fleeing for their lives.
It was alleged that a member of the Elegushi ruling house led the attack.
Residents of the area later accused the police of making things harder for them by supervising the demolition of the structures that survived the fire that was set on the community, and they thronged the state house in Lagos earlier in the week to air their grievances.
Lagos police however denied any involvement in the destruction of the homes, saying they had arrested several people for setting fire to them.
A rights group put the total of affected Egun natives at about 30,000.
The U.N. special rapporteur on the right to housing, Leilani Farha, said yesterday that four people were reported to have died in the eviction and others had complained of “brutal treatment”.
“It has been brought to my attention that the evictions may have involved the extreme use of force and fire by the Nigerian police force and Lagos State government, leaving individuals and families scrambling in the middle of the night to find safety and shelter,” Farha said in a statement.
“What makes these evictions particularly concerning is that they were carried out in blatant disregard of a court order and have completely ignored international human rights guidelines on forced evictions.”
There was no immediate comment from the Federal Government or Lagos state, Reuters reported.
“In an urgent communication, Ms. Farha has asked the Nigerian government for information on the evictions, the methods used and their compliance with international human rights law,” said the statement.
Last week, Amnesty International called on Nigeria to shelve plans to demolish more illegal settlements.
Lagos, a city of 23 million people, is synonymous with several slums of makeshift housing in its poorest parts.
U.N. estimates suggest that by 2050, Nigeria’s population, currently 180 million people will grow to 400 million, making it the world’s third most populous nation after China and India.
