48-Hour Eviction: Otumara residents in Lagos fight to save their homes!

Guardian Nigeria

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00:00People came to our community yesterday, started marking houses, shops, remove, remove, and

00:10we are so strange on that.

00:13On February 12, 2025, residents of Utumara community in Ibutemete, Lagos, took to the

00:19street in a desperate plea to save their homes from demolition.

00:23The community protested against the planned demolition, which was slated to take place

00:28just 48 hours after the notice was served.

00:31We are here in respect of our community, Utumara, in Lagos, Milan, Ibutemete and West.

00:38Some people came to our community yesterday afternoon, marking our houses, gave us two

00:44days notice that they will come and demolish our houses.

00:48We are here to protest against our property in the community.

00:52Initially, there is an agency that came to the community about a couple of months back.

00:58They came there, they said they want to regenerate the community, and we did not go against it.

01:04I wish they told us that it's going to be an inclusive government.

01:07We said we want to live in an urban environment, and we believe that if we are inclusive in

01:13the course of their process, all of us, we enjoy, we won't be chased away.

01:18I don't want a situation whereby we have lived for years in an environment, and suddenly

01:23they just chase us out.

01:24I will now start seeing an external body that came there to come and take over our environment.

01:29That place was a swampy area.

01:31We have developed to the extent of our power, so they should leave us to live there.

01:35We have a right to live.

01:36We have been hearing rumours, and they said any outer of rumour there must be an evidence

01:40of truth.

01:42Some neighbouring community that is very close to our community, they have been demolished

01:46illegally.

01:47We are hearing the rumour that we are the next target.

01:51For years today, many of us have gone to our places of work.

01:55They just call us there.

01:56They call us there and they told us that some agency, Labscap, they are in the community

02:02with a multitude of policemen, and they are marking all our buildings in the community.

02:08And they are marking all our buildings in the community, which they told them that they

02:11gave them 48 hours.

02:12It's an injustice to just pose us like that.

02:16We are an indigent.

02:17We are not causing havoc.

02:20We contribute to the government.

02:21Why should they do us like that?

02:23It's an injustice.

02:24So they should leave us, and we are cooperating, contributing to the development of government

02:29with our health care there.

02:30There is primary school there.

02:31There is secondary school there.

02:32Why should they do that sort to us?

02:34As the community faces the threat of displacement, the residents of Utumara community are reaching

02:39out to the Lagos State Government for an urgent intervention and assistance, hoping to find

02:44a solution that will spare their homes and livelihoods.

02:47Government should give us time.

02:49Government should develop for us.

02:52Before then, they should now find a place for us to stay.

02:57They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:02They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:06They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:09They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:12They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:15They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:18They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:21They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:24They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:27They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:30They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:33They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:35They are asking us to just quit like that, with children and women, you know.

03:38After talking to several residents of Otumara Community,

03:41it's clear that the threat of demolition has left many families in a state of uncertainty and fear.

03:48Stay with us as we continue to follow this story and bring you more updates.

04:00you

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