Trending: Outrage as Lagos govt continues demolition of Otodo Gbame

There was an outcry on the social media on Sunday
as the Lagos State government continued with the
demotion of Otodo Gbame , a waterfront community
in the state .
It was gathered that task force officials from the
Environment Ministry arrived at the community as
early as 6am in company with security operatives
and proceeded to set houses ablaze as resident fled .
As news of the incident spread , many Nigerians and
human rights organisations took to the social media
to condemn the demolition and draw attention to the
plight of those affected .
On Twitter , Amnesty International Nigeria joined
those tweeting about incident, making #OtodoGbame
the top trending topic on the platform.
After defying court order and using brutal
force and thugs several times at
#OtodoGbame now the world watches bloody
use of force again.

— Amnesty Int . Nigeria (@ AmnestyNigeria)
April 9, 2017
@ AkinwunmiAmbode every Lagosian should
be treated with dignity , whether rich or poor .
Let ’ s eradicate poverty, not poor people
#OtodoGbame https:/ /t.co /oZPwYbU 9Io

— JJ . Omojuwa (@ Omojuwa ) April 9, 2017
I ’ ve seen so much , but NEVER seen where d
FULL weight of govt brutality is brought
upon pple already poor & pwrless like
#OtodoGbame‘ s case .
pic .twitter .com / 6MCbjmOSxS

— Betty Abah (@ bettyabah) April 9, 2017
Lagos State Task Force climbing in and out of
structures on water to light each one on fire
#OtodoGbame pic.twitter . com /vGGZMowZxU

— JEI | #OtodoGbame (@ justempower ) April
9, 2017
@ AkinwunmiAmbode Not every Lagosian is a
thief , that will build mansion on the Island
Lekki , sum people make a honest living O !
#OtodoGbame

— Box106 Africa (@ Box106Africa) April 9,
2017
I can’ t process any government bullying or
antagonizing me on top of this land that has
been in my generation for centuries
#OtodoGbame

— Okikiola Sanni (@ okikiola_ sanni ) April 9,
2017
Women , children, begging for
@ AkinwunmiAmbode @ followlasg mercy .
#OtodoGbame pic.twitter . com /e1InfYEKAR

— JEI | #OtodoGbame (@ justempower ) April
9, 2017
If there is no plan to house them , these
people have been left to die on the water .
And that is unforgivable
@ AkinwunmiAmbode #OtodoGbame
— MKO (@ MobayoO) April 9, 2017
Instead of looking for policies that will lift
people from poverty to middle class . The
LASG is destroying Their homes .
#OtodoGbame

— MAKUA (@ Michaelnduokeke) April 9, 2017
This is honestly really heartbreaking , please
pray for these people. We need to help each
other 🇳🇬💔 #OtodoGbame

— T (@ temiakinrele) April 9, 2017

The Lagos State government had come under heavy
criticism on March 17 when it commenced the
demolition of the waterfront community.
Amnesty International had in a statement
condemned the move , saying the demolition was
illegal and brutal.
“ This brutal and illegal act flies in the face of human
dignity as well as a High Court Ruling that prohibited
the eviction taking place and instructed the
authorities to instead seek a settlement with the
affected communities , ” AI’ s Nigeria researcher,
Morayo Adebayo, said .
But the state government defended the move, saying
action was carried out in order to forestall an
environmental disaster and another round of deadly
skirmishes that led to the razing of the Otodo Gbame
community in November 2016.
“ The leave granted to enforce their rights was
tantamount to an order of status quo ante bellum on
the parties , which amongst other things required
that the claimants do not take any action within the
area after it was destroyed by fire , ” the state
Commissioner for Information , Mr. Steve Ayorinde ,
had said in a statement .
“ The undisputed fact is that Otodo Gbame was
engulfed by fire that razed down the entire
community in November 2016, which rendered the
area uninhabitable .”