Tears, rubble and shattered lives littered Tolu Alashe Street in Oworonshoki, Lagos, on Wednesday after a midnight demolition by the Lagos State Government rendered hundreds of residents homeless, forcing many to sell off personal belongings for as low as N1,000 to survive.
What used to be a vibrant community now resembles a war-torn zone — broken blocks, torn roofing sheets and children wandering around piles of debris, with no shelter or relief in sight. Many displaced families have been sleeping outside since the operation.
Among the victims is Mrs Rebecca, a food seller and mother of one battling spinal-cord complications, who said she contemplated suicide after losing her home, shop and savings.
“I just came back from the hospital that night,” she said, slumped beside a rusted pot and a dusty standing fan. “I paid N360,000 for my two-room apartment. I had just finished paying when they came at night and broke everything. I wanted to kill myself, but my sister stopped me.”
Rebecca said she has resorted to selling her remaining belongings — including a standing fan she bought for N35,000, now being taken away by scrap buyers for N1,000.
“I don’t have a choice,” she sobbed. “I need money to eat and treat myself. Everywhere I turn, there is no help.”
Scrap buyers, popularly called aboki, swarmed the debris negotiating to buy residents’ household items at giveaway prices, as helpless women sat on broken blocks watching strangers strip their homes piece by piece.
Another displaced resident, Mrs Jumai, who lived in the community for 10 years, recalled how she and her children escaped minutes before bulldozers pulled down their house.
“They came around 11pm,” she narrated. “We were sleeping when our neighbours shouted that the bulldozers were close. We carried what we could and ran. My shop where I sold pepper soup and drinks was in the same compound. They broke everything.”
Her children’s school — located in the same neighbourhood — was also demolished.
“We stayed here with the school. Everything is gone. I don’t even know where to start their schooling again,” she cried.
As of press time, there was no sign of relocation support or emergency shelters for the victims, many of whom said they were not served eviction notices or given time to find alternatives.
Shocked residents accused the authorities of turning them into beggars overnight.
“We are Nigerians. We voted for government. Why treat us like animals?” one displaced youth lamented while holding a torn mattress.
Efforts to reach the Lagos State environmental authorities for comment were unsuccessful as calls and messages were not returned.
For now, Oworonshoki residents continue to pick through the ruins of their lives — with no answers, no homes, and little hope.
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