micTruely Your Radio

International

‘They told us to leave. They didn’t tell us where to go’: the demolitions destroying homes and lives in Lagos

todayJanuary 26, 2026

Background
share close

Makoko’s waterfront stilt settlements were razed with little warning amid government claims that the move was essential for sanitation and security

It was 12.30pm when amphibious excavators escorted by armed police roared through Makoko, crushing wooden shacks built on stilts. “It was the second time this year,” says Augustine Agpoko, 42, a fisher and father of eight whose six-bedroom bungalow was demolished on 16 January.

Like many of his neighbours, Agpoko was already dismantling his home piece by piece in an attempt to save some of the materials before the machines arrived. “I was removing my roofing sheets, trying to salvage materials from my house when the bulldozers began demolition,” he says. “When they started firing tear gas into the air, I had to quickly evacuate my family to safety in a neighbouring community, because one of my two wives is in her second trimester.”

Makoko waterfront community before the demolitions

Continue reading…

Source: www.theguardian.com

Read full article

Written by: truelightfm

Rate it

Similar posts

International

Schools in England should be phone-free all day, education secretary says

Bridget Phillipson says pupils should not use mobiles at any point, as Ofsted prepares to inspect complianceSchools should be phone-free throughout the entire day, the education secretary has told headteachers in England, stressing that pupils should not use the devices even as calculators or for research.Bridget Phillipson wrote to schools […]

todayJanuary 26, 2026

Post comments (0)

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *