Amnesty International, a human rights organization, has urged the Federal Government to revoke the National Inland Waterways Authority’s 21-day ultimatum to residents of waterfront neighborhoods in Lagos’ Oworonshoki neighborhood to leave their homes.

The prospect of forced eviction, according to Amnesty International’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, violated the communities’ rights to sufficient housing in a statement released on Tuesday.

Residents acknowledged to AI, according to the statement, that the communities’ planned demolition was brought about by purported plans to sell the area to private developers without providing them with new housing, making them homeless.

The group also reported that between July 24 and August 1, 2023, the Lagos State Government had forcibly removed thousands of residents from their homes, resulting in the burning or demolition of over 7,000 buildings.

Additionally, between November 2016 and April 2017, 30,000 residents had been forcibly evicted from their homes in the Otodo-Gbame community.

The statement read in part, “Amnesty International calls on the Nigerian authorities to immediately withdraw the 21-day ultimatum given to residents of waterfront communities in Oworonshoki by the National Inland Waterways Authority to vacate their homes or be forcefully evicted over alleged contravention of the NIWA Act.

“This fresh threat of forced eviction violates the right to adequate housing in the communities. NIWA and the Lagos authorities must halt these attacks on poor communities that are punished for the state’s urban planning failures.

“The trend in which Lagos authorities forcibly evict communities and hand over the land to private developers will only create a mega city that excludes the less privileged.

“Lagos State Government has been consistently violating the right to adequate housing – and in some cases doing so with utter disregard for court orders.

“NIWA and the Lagos State Government have an obligation to comply with international human rights law, which completely prohibits forced evictions.”