Lagos Makoko demolitions spark displacement and gentrification fears

Demolitions and torching of shanties in Makoko, Lagos’s largest informal waterfront settlement, have displaced more than 10,000 residents and destroyed thousands of homes. Officials say removals are to curb safety risks from high-voltage lines, but critics accuse the move of land-grabbing to pave the way for upscale development, with protests, tear-gas clashes, and reports of deaths and lost livelihoods.