Nigeria: Thousands Face Eviction in Lagos - NGOs

Tens of thousands of people living in the Badia East area of Lagos face forced eviction from their homes by the Lagos State government, and possible destitution as a result, warn two NGOs in a new report.

Amnesty International and the Lagos-based Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC) released a report today documenting evictions carried out in the first phase of a U.S. $200 million World Bank-funded redevelopment project. Homes were demolished during the evictions, which occurred in February.

The NGOs say the evictions violated African and international charters on human rights. If the Lagos government goes ahead with its current plans, they add, the project "risks being diverted from the intended beneficiaries, Badia residents, to more affluent residents of Lagos State".

Amnesty and SERAC are calling on the governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, to publicly commit to stopping forced evictions, and on the World Bank to put safeguards in place to ensure it does not support any activities which may result in forced evictions in the future.

Their report says about 9,000 residents, who were evicted in February without advance notice, lost their homes or livelihoods and dozens of people are still sleeping out in the open or under a bridge.