₦airaland Forum

shortgun:
Demolishing people’s houses and grabbing land by the Lagos State Government is nothing new. It’s an old pattern of theft and abuse that goes back to the 1980s. Successive Lagos governments have shamelessly taken over people’s lawful properties, acting above the laws of Nigeria. These are not isolated cases, they’re part of a long, dirty tradition of government-backed robbery.

Lagos State government ends up losing the cases that are taken to court, because the evidence of illegality and impunity are undeniable. Many Judges in the past have declared many of these demolitions and seizures as illegal and have ordered compensation for the victims.

Below are some of the well-documented cases where the courts declared Lagos State’s governments demolitions illegal. It’s a disgrace that a state government constantly finds itself on the wrong side of the law it is meant to uphold.


1.Makoko / Oko-Agbon / Sogunro / Iwaya waterfront communities case
(Suit No. FHC/L/CS/70/2025)
Presided by Justice F. N. Ogazi.


Respondents:Lagos State Government, its relevant agencies and the Nigeria Police Force. Also implicated is FBT Coral Limited (private developer) for being allocated parts of the land

Background:
Lagos State government and its agents used brute force and threats to demolish houses and business premises without compensation or resettlement.
Re-alocated the land to a private developer, FBT Coral, for luxury development.
Residents claim loss of livelihoods, businesses, homes, Police harassment and the killing of a community leader.

Judgment and Court Ruling
The court restrained Lagos State Government & the authorities including the Police command from any further unlawful evictions or demolitions in the Makoko / Oko-Agbon / Sogunro / Iwaya waterfront communities. Also, from continuing threats of such actions.
₦3.5 billion was awarded as damages to the residents. These damages cover past demolitions, past threats of demolition and the unlawful killing of a community leader.


2.Shangisha / Magodo Scheme II case.
Supreme court SC/112/2002

Background:
Between June 1984 and May 1985, Lagos State Government moved into Shangisha Village now known as Magodo Scheme II demolishing homes and seizing land from citizens who had done nothing wrong. Many of them who had legally bought their plots and built houses long before the state’s invasion.

Judgment and Court Ruling
In 1993, the Lagos State High Court declared the Lagos state government’s actions illegal, ordering Lagos to allocate 549 plots to the landlords as restitution. The lagos state government refused and appealed — but the Court of Appeal in 2001 upheld the decision of the high court. Yet, again the state dragged the matter to the Supreme Court, the apex court.
Led by Justice Adekeye, The Supreme court delivered a final judgment on 10 February 2012, unanimously ordering Lagos to comply and give the landlords first choice of 549 plots in Shangisha or equivalent plots elsewhere.
Lagos lost again
After nearly three decades, In 2024, Lagos State government filed an application again at the Supreme Court seeking a review of its 2012 decision in SC/1/2/2002.
The Supreme Court rejected that application. It held that the 2012 judgment was unambiguous, that the Court lacks the power to review its own judgment and that what Lagos was asking was essentially a re-opening of final judgment which is not permissible under the law!


3.Lagos State goverment vs Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (1986) – Supreme Court (SC.241/1985)

Background:
Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu had secured an ex parte interim injunction restraining the Lagos State Government from ejecting him from his legal residence. Despite this clear court order, the Lagos State Government defied the order and sent about 150 armed men to forcibly eject Chief Ojukwu, his family and other occupants while the suit was still pending in court.

The Court of Appeal condemned the government’s actions as illegal, ordering that Ojukwu be reinstated into possession and describing Lagos State’s conduct as an act of rascality and self-help — a violation of due process and the rule of law.

The Lagos State Government not satisfied appealed to the Supreme Court, which unanimously dismissed the appeal. The apex court ruled that the forced eviction of Ojukwu while litigation was ongoing was unlawful, amounted to executive lawlessness and was rascality and self-help, acts forbidden under the law.

The case remains a landmark precedent in Nigerian jurisprudence affirming that no individual or authority not even the government, may use force to evict or reclaim property when a case is pending before the court.


National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) vs Lagos Lagos State Government....( this case is similar to trade fair demolitions)
Court: Supreme Court of Nigeria
Case No./Appeal No.: SC/CV/17/2018

Background:
Lagos State government with it's LASWA (2008 law) state law, had been regulating, licensing, levying boat operators, dredgers, tour‐boats etc illegally on inland waterways..lagoons, rivers, etc) within Lagos State.

NIWA (a Federal agency) challenged that Lagos State’s regulation / levy imposition was illegal and unconstitutional; claiming that all inland waterways fall under the Exclusive Legislative List in the Constitution, which is a federal jurisdiction,so states cannot usurp that authority.

There was some back-and-forth. The Federal High Court then ruled in favor of NIWA.
Not satisfied, Lagos state government appealed the judgement and the Court of Appeal later reversed the ruling of the high court, giving Lagos some regulatory space over waterways within the state. The case then went to the Supreme Court.

Judgment and Court Ruling
The Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeal’s judgment. It affirmed the earlier Federal High Court decision of March 28, 2014, by Justice Tsoho that NIWA/NMSSA / that the Federal Government have exclusive authority over the inland waterways in Nigeria—this includes licensing, levies, regulation and all related commercial activity.

Held that Lagos State’s legislation (LASWA Law 2008) is illegal and unconstitutional, to the extent it attempts to regulate, charge, license or control inland waterways, in conflict with the NIWA Act and the Constitution’s Exclusive Legislative List. The Supreme Court declared the actions of lagos state illegal.
Lagos State lost the legal authority to impose levies, licenses or regulatory fees on inland waterways operators boats, tours, dredgers etc. under the LASWA law or similar state laws. Such regulatory power rests solely with federal agencies NIWA / NMSSA.

Conclusion:
A clear pattern runs through all these cases: the Lagos State Government has repeatedly shown utter disregard for the laws of Nigeria. It has made illegality a habit, operating above the law and using state power to dispossess citizens of their properties.
No other state in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world has this long and shameful record of being legally proven wrong so many times in courts

So, before you assume that Lagos State’s demolitions are justified, remember its history of lawlessness, a government that has been found guilty over and over again of illegally seizing people’s land.
The real tragedy in all this is that many victims will never get justice simply because they cannot afford the long legal battle with a state government,while the Lagos government bloated with public funds has demonstrated that it will chase people’s private legal properties all the way to the Supreme Court — just to keep what it stole.

shortgun:
Demolishing people’s houses and grabbing land by the Lagos State Government is nothing new. It’s an old pattern of theft and abuse that goes back to the 1980s. Successive Lagos governments have shamelessly taken over people’s lawful properties, acting above the laws of Nigeria. These are not isolated cases, they’re part of a long, dirty tradition of government-backed robbery.

Lagos State government ends up losing the cases that are taken to court, because the evidence of illegality and impunity are undeniable. Many Judges in the past have declared many of these demolitions and seizures as illegal and have ordered compensation for the victims.

Below are some of the well-documented cases where the courts declared Lagos State’s governments demolitions illegal. It’s a disgrace that a state government constantly finds itself on the wrong side of the law it is meant to uphold.


1.Makoko / Oko-Agbon / Sogunro / Iwaya waterfront communities case
(Suit No. FHC/L/CS/70/2025)
Presided by Justice F. N. Ogazi.


Respondents:Lagos State Government, its relevant agencies and the Nigeria Police Force. Also implicated is FBT Coral Limited (private developer) for being allocated parts of the land

Background:
Lagos State government and its agents used brute force and threats to demolish houses and business premises without compensation or resettlement.
Re-alocated the land to a private developer, FBT Coral, for luxury development.
Residents claim loss of livelihoods, businesses, homes, Police harassment and the killing of a community leader.

Judgment and Court Ruling
The court restrained Lagos State Government & the authorities including the Police command from any further unlawful evictions or demolitions in the Makoko / Oko-Agbon / Sogunro / Iwaya waterfront communities. Also, from continuing threats of such actions.
₦3.5 billion was awarded as damages to the residents. These damages cover past demolitions, past threats of demolition and the unlawful killing of a community leader.


2.Shangisha / Magodo Scheme II case.
Supreme court SC/112/2002

Background:
Between June 1984 and May 1985, Lagos State Government moved into Shangisha Village now known as Magodo Scheme II demolishing homes and seizing land from citizens who had done nothing wrong. Many of them who had legally bought their plots and built houses long before the state’s invasion.

Judgment and Court Ruling
In 1993, the Lagos State High Court declared the Lagos state government’s actions illegal, ordering Lagos to allocate 549 plots to the landlords as restitution. The lagos state government refused and appealed — but the Court of Appeal in 2001 upheld the decision of the high court. Yet, again the state dragged the matter to the Supreme Court, the apex court.
Led by Justice Adekeye, The Supreme court delivered a final judgment on 10 February 2012, unanimously ordering Lagos to comply and give the landlords first choice of 549 plots in Shangisha or equivalent plots elsewhere.
Lagos lost again
After nearly three decades, In 2024, Lagos State government filed an application again at the Supreme Court seeking a review of its 2012 decision in SC/1/2/2002.
The Supreme Court rejected that application. It held that the 2012 judgment was unambiguous, that the Court lacks the power to review its own judgment and that what Lagos was asking was essentially a re-opening of final judgment which is not permissible under the law!


3.Lagos State goverment vs Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (1986) – Supreme Court (SC.241/1985)

Background:
Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu had secured an ex parte interim injunction restraining the Lagos State Government from ejecting him from his legal residence. Despite this clear court order, the Lagos State Government defied the order and sent about 150 armed men to forcibly eject Chief Ojukwu, his family and other occupants while the suit was still pending in court.

The Court of Appeal condemned the government’s actions as illegal, ordering that Ojukwu be reinstated into possession and describing Lagos State’s conduct as an act of rascality and self-help — a violation of due process and the rule of law.

The Lagos State Government not satisfied appealed to the Supreme Court, which unanimously dismissed the appeal. The apex court ruled that the forced eviction of Ojukwu while litigation was ongoing was unlawful, amounted to executive lawlessness and was rascality and self-help, acts forbidden under the law.

The case remains a landmark precedent in Nigerian jurisprudence affirming that no individual or authority not even the government, may use force to evict or reclaim property when a case is pending before the court.


National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) vs Lagos Lagos State Government....( this case is similar to trade fair demolitions)
Court: Supreme Court of Nigeria
Case No./Appeal No.: SC/CV/17/2018

Background:
Lagos State government with it's LASWA (2008 law) state law, had been regulating, licensing, levying boat operators, dredgers, tour‐boats etc illegally on inland waterways..lagoons, rivers, etc) within Lagos State.

NIWA (a Federal agency) challenged that Lagos State’s regulation / levy imposition was illegal and unconstitutional; claiming that all inland waterways fall under the Exclusive Legislative List in the Constitution, which is a federal jurisdiction,so states cannot usurp that authority.

There was some back-and-forth. The Federal High Court then ruled in favor of NIWA.
Not satisfied, Lagos state government appealed the judgement and the Court of Appeal later reversed the ruling of the high court, giving Lagos some regulatory space over waterways within the state. The case then went to the Supreme Court.

Judgment and Court Ruling
The Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeal’s judgment. It affirmed the earlier Federal High Court decision of March 28, 2014, by Justice Tsoho that NIWA/NMSSA / that the Federal Government have exclusive authority over the inland waterways in Nigeria—this includes licensing, levies, regulation and all related commercial activity.

Held that Lagos State’s legislation (LASWA Law 2008) is illegal and unconstitutional, to the extent it attempts to regulate, charge, license or control inland waterways, in conflict with the NIWA Act and the Constitution’s Exclusive Legislative List. The Supreme Court declared the actions of lagos state illegal.
Lagos State lost the legal authority to impose levies, licenses or regulatory fees on inland waterways operators boats, tours, dredgers etc. under the LASWA law or similar state laws. Such regulatory power rests solely with federal agencies NIWA / NMSSA.

Conclusion:
A clear pattern runs through all these cases: the Lagos State Government has repeatedly shown utter disregard for the laws of Nigeria. It has made illegality a habit, operating above the law and using state power to dispossess citizens of their properties.
No other state in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world has this long and shameful record of being legally proven wrong so many times in courts

So, before you assume that Lagos State’s demolitions are justified, remember its history of lawlessness, a government that has been found guilty over and over again of illegally seizing people’s land.
The real tragedy in all this is that many victims will never get justice simply because they cannot afford the long legal battle with a state government,while the Lagos government bloated with public funds has demonstrated that it will chase people’s private legal properties all the way to the Supreme Court — just to keep what it stole.

shortgun:
The issue isn’t whether the traders had approvals, they did. The Trade Fair Complex is a federal property, managed by a federal government board and every trader there holds federal leases and approvals. Yet Lagos State claims that even on federal land, people must still obtain state physical planning permits before building. So basically, Lagos is saying federal approval means nothing unless they also stamp it. How does that make any sense?

shortgun:
The issue isn’t whether the traders had approvals, they did. The Trade Fair Complex is a federal property, managed by a federal government board and every trader there holds federal leases and approvals. Yet Lagos State claims that even on federal land, people must still obtain state physical planning permits before building. So basically, Lagos is saying federal approval means nothing unless they also stamp it. How does that make any sense?

Putinofrussia:
Here is an excerpt from the judgment:
“It must be recognized that the power to plan and control development of land within a State belongs to that State.
The Federal Government has no power to regulate town and country planning in a State except in relation to land vested in the Federal Government or any of its agencies for Federal purposes.


For federal purposes is the key word.
Lagos State has power to control the development of land in the trade fair because it is not being used for federal purposes like correctional centres,FG radio outlets,FG fire fighters buildings etc.

shortgun:
Oga there’s no need to act like you are smart...
Show me where any court ruled that Lagos State government has authority to oversee activities in federal government owned lands within Lagos state.

Putinofrussia:
Here is an excerpt from the judgment:
“It must be recognized that the power to plan and control development of land within a State belongs to that State.
The Federal Government has no power to regulate town and country planning in a State except in relation to land vested in the Federal Government or any of its agencies for Federal purposes.


For federal purposes is the key word.
Lagos State has power to control the development of land in the trade fair because it is not being used for federal purposes like correctional centres,FG radio outlets,FG fire fighters buildings etc.

aribisala0:
There is no ambiguity
Those are for private commercial purposes

They are not federal purposes by any stretch e.g military installations, or other federal facilities

shortgun:
To think that federal purposes only mean correctional centres,FG radio outlets,FG fire fighters is very myopic.
Where do you place schools, transmission stations,sports stadiums, museums, ITF and SMEDAN centres,national trade exhibition centers

Any land owned and occupied by the Federal government has a federal purpose

shortgun:

Clearly you’re the one who needs to learn here. This is precisely why the Lagos State Government should bury its head in shame.

The land at the Trade Fair Complex was never outrightly sold to any individual, trader or association. Federal government does not sell trade fair complexes!
All occupants and businesses there operate under federal leases or allocations issued by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment through the Trade Fair Management Board (TFMB). All the land there still belong to the Federal government!

Do you now understand or you need an interpreter?

Putinofrussia:
Those are private commercial buildings.It has gone beyond the scope of the Federal Government Purposes.
Why don't you understand simple english?

Lanretoye:
go and buy land there and build without approval…what you cannot do in anambra,come and do it here.go and interpret this same crap to the people whose buildings were demolished maybe they will understand.
Building blocks you do t know how to buy but law for those that are building,you carry misinformation for head like woman scarf.
All these rubbish made your people lose their hard earned money to useless stubbornness that you can not display in the south east

Putinofrussia:
Those are private commercial buildings.It has gone beyond the scope of the Federal Government Purposes.
Why don't you understand simple english?

shortgun:
Cry all you want but illegality is illegality. Just like every victim of Lagos state lawlessness in the past got justice at the end. These ones too will definitely get justice with full compensation.

shortgun:
Cry all you want but illegality is illegality. Just like every victim of Lagos state lawlessness in the past got justice at the end. These ones too will definitely get justice with full compensation.

Burob:
I doubt any Justice will be served or compensation will be received, if they are not careful they will be fined heavily for their illegality, the land use act which is enshrined in section 315(5) &(6) of the constitution 1999 as amended says for overriding public interests, building shops or whatever for personal use on federal land is not for overriding public interests.

aribisala0, Putinofrussia, aswani, lanretoye & Co are correct.

shortgun:
It's very clear you have limited knowledge on this subject.
See the sections you are quoting, how do they relate?

Burob:
It is always the ones like yourself that have nothing, that will always purport to make the loudest noise.

Lagos State government, will not give them 1 Naira, & if the Lagos state government catches any of them so called owners near those demolished properties, na police cell for festac town dey go sleep.

shortgun:
Exactly what many like you said in the past when the same Lagos state government illegally demolished houses which the courts later reversed and fully compensated victims of the state's lawlessness.
It has happened before and it will happen again.

SeeWahala:
I'm just happy that the entire country as well as International bodies and business partners are seriously taking notes of the hypocrisy and tribalism of the average Yoruba man in Nigeria today 🤗

2027 no far, we go rendezvous and compare notes by then

Lifestone:
I'm not sure if the last paragraph is relevant to Yorubas, we were not in GEJ and Buhari government and heaven did not fall, we were not traumatized, so if by 2027 we lost, heaven will not fall, we will reorganize and come back.
We are not cry cry baby

Burob:
Not all cases are the same, no matter how similar they may be perceived to be, Lagos state government has lost so many cases, & have won so many also.

U don’t want to be in the shoes of these persons who their properties were demolished, u don’t want to be a victim of Alausa, most especially if u are igbo.

shortgun:
So, what you’re saying is that there’s a state-backed victimization of Igbo people by the Lagos State Government.
Ah, so Lagos has moved from Center of Excellence to Center of Selective Demolition.
Thanks for clearing that up.😏

shortgun:
It's very clear you have limited knowledge on this subject.
See the sections you are quoting, how do they relate?

Burob:
Dude me I am not Yoruba, I live in Lagos State, as well as Delta State, just as many Igbos have a bias against Yorubas, so many Yorubas have against Igbos.

If u are Igbo & fall victim, & go with your chest out to Alausa to make noise, most likely u will be frustrated in a manner, one would have no option only, but have pity for u.

shortgun:
So your message is that if you’re Igbo, don’t expect to get justice in Lagos state?
You’ve just confirmed it’s no longer about the law, but about identity.
Well, for the record, the Nigerian Constitution which every governor swore to uphold forbids discrimination against any citizen of Nigeria. Singling out Igbos or any ethnic group is no longer governance, it’s illegality and a direct affront to the Constitution

Lanretoye:
you only have knowledge about sections of the law,you have no idea what is required to build a house…I won’t be fool for nothing

shortgun:
It's very clear you have limited knowledge on this subject.
See the sections you are quoting, how do they relate?

aribisala0:
And you are Professor or SAN Umahi

Don't quote me to engage in ego tussles

I have said what needs to be said

Don't drag me into transparent and childish attempts to resuscitate a meaningless thread

See this one and delusions abeg
You quote me and still giving conditions?
As who?
I'll continue to quote you as long as I want. You don't detect shit to me here