Story highlights
- Lagos High Court ruled that the forcible eviction of thousands of families was unconstitutional
- According to legal campaign group Justice and Empowerment initiative 30,000 families lost their homes
Lagos (CNN)After months of setbacks the residents of Otodo Gbame waterfront community in Lagos have won a small victory, after a Lagos High Court ruled that their forcible eviction was unconstitutional.
30,000 families were left with nothing after authorities allegedly destroyed their homes in November 2016, according to legal campaign group Justice and Empowerment Initiative (JEI).
Community leader Celestine Ahisu points to family make-shift home demolished by the authorities at Otodo Gbame waterfront fishing communities in Lagos, on November 28, 2016.
In his ruling Judge Adeniyi Onigbanjo ordered Lagos State government to find a way to compensate the residents and to devise a resettlement plan to ensure they are rehoused.
The government initially denied demolishing homes, claiming they had been destroyed by fire and were uninhabitable.
In mid-October, 2016, the state government commenced their eviction plans across the state, which prompted Otodo Gbame residents to seek an injunction from the court which was granted in November 2016.
This did nothing to stop the authorities and thousands were made homeless.
A boy walks past make-shift structures demolished by the authorities at Otodo Gbame waterfront fishing communities in Lagos.
In January, Lagos High Court intervened and asked both parties to mediate, but it failed when authorities evicted the remaining 5,000 residents in March this year.
JEI, who have been assisting residents, welcomed the ruling in a statement which read in part: "The final judgment delivered by the court was a huge step forward in the quest for justice for Otodo Gbame evictees and brings relief to over 270,000 residents of other waterfront communities in Lagos that have been living under the threat of eviction."
