Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has urged the Lagos State Government to immediately stop the demolition of waterfront properties, describing the actions as illegal, unconstitutional, and in contempt of multiple court judgments.
In a statement titled “Lagos State Government Must Halt Illegal Demolition of Waterfront Properties,” Falana recalled that the Lagos High Court on June 22, 2017, declared unlawful a series of government-ordered evictions that displaced over 30,000 residents from waterfront communities.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo (now retired), held that the evictions violated the fundamental rights of affected residents and awarded ₦3.5 million in damages in their favour. The court also ordered an immediate halt to future evictions, a ruling Falana said was capable of preventing an estimated 270,000 residents from losing their homes to urban development projects.
Justice Onigbanjo further directed the Lagos State Government to engage with affected communities on resettlement plans in line with the state’s urban renewal policy.
Falana also cited a more recent judgment delivered on August 25, 2025, by Justice F. N. Ogazi of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which restrained the Lagos State Government, its agencies, and the Nigeria Police Force from carrying out demolitions or evictions in Makoko, Oko-Agbon, Sogunro, and Iwaya waterfront communities.
According to Falana, the order was issued to protect residents from what the court described as a “continuous threat and fear of imminent demolition,” following prolonged disputes over alleged forceful land acquisition without compensation or resettlement.
Despite these subsisting court orders, Falana accused the state government of continuing demolitions in what he described as a “brazen display of executive impunity,” noting that schools, medical centres, and residential buildings have reportedly been destroyed.
He said the demolitions and evictions have resulted in loss of lives and the displacement of thousands of residents.
Falana further argued that the actions of the Lagos State Government amount to contempt of a Supreme Court judgment delivered on January 7, 2024, in a dispute between the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the state government.
He noted that the Supreme Court affirmed that existing laws vest exclusive control of inland waterways in the Federal Government through NIWA. Citing Sections 8 and 9 of the NIWA Act, Falana said the apex court clarified that NIWA remains the sole authority empowered to manage, direct, and control activities on navigable waterways and their rights of way across the country.
Falana maintained that since inland waterways fall under federal jurisdiction, demolitions carried out by the Lagos State Government in waterfront communities are illegal, unconstitutional, and contemptuous, describing them as an affront to the authority of the judiciary.
In calling for compliance with court rulings, Falana reminded Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the Supreme Court’s decision in Military Governor of Lagos State v. Chief Emeka Ojukwu, where even a military administration obeyed a court order by restoring possession of disputed property.
He stressed that lawful governance requires strict adherence to valid court orders and the protection of the rights and dignity of affected residents.
