Badagry communities protest demolition of property, two years after

THREE Badagry communities, namely Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 11 on Wednesday took to the streets to protest the continued violation of their rights by the Lagos State government and the Nigeria Police Force, who illegally demolished their homes on December 16 and 17 , 2013.

The communities, who came out in their number to mark the second anniversary of the demolition of 1,500 houses that rendered over 15,000 of their members homeless, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the state government and the Police Force to return their lands to the rightful owners.

The protest, which kicked off at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja and terminated at the zonal office of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Ikeja had protesters singing solidarity songs.

Chairman of the affected communities, Chief Adu Edeha Charles, wants their houses rebuilt as well as the resettlement of all families forcefully evicted from their homes. They also urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to instruct the Lagos State command to stop all construction works going on at the disputed land pending the determination of the suit in line with the subsisting orders of court.

The community also called on the chairman of the adhoc committee set up by the Lagos State House of Assembly to investigate the illegal demolition to make public its findings.

“We view the flagrant disobedience of a subsisting order of the Badagry High Court by the Nigeria Police Force working in connivance with the Lagos State government as a display of impunity and this portends dangerous signals to our justice system as it is capable of eroding public confidence in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man,” he added.