Evicted residents of Otodo-Gbame, Lekki protest at Lagos State Secretariat (photos)

Evicted residents Of Otodo-Gbame, Lekki protested at the Lagos State Secretariat, Wednesday. The waterfront community which is currently in the grip of inter-ethnic conflict, erupted in violence last week when hoodlums and policemen reportedly torched houses belonging to the Egun people, with whom the Yoruba have been at daggers drawn.

They reportedly brought in an excavator in the middle of the night, chased people away from their homes before demolishing the houses and setting them ablaze.This was done after the residents got a court injunction restricting the Lagos State Government or anybody from demolishing any waterfront community.

Youth leader in Otodo-Gbame, Mr Ahisu Celestine told Sahara Reporters that a woman identified as Ajoke Adebayo, owner of Children International School, was the one that brought in the mobile policemen to the community.
“The mobile policemen were hired by Mrs Ajoke Adebayo to guard the gate of her school because it is close to the community. They came into the community when they noticed that police officers from Jakande/IIasan Police station were not on ground. They don’t have any business here than o protect the woman’s property. Why are they in our community burning people’s houses?”

Residents of the community have nowhere else to go and maintained that the Egun people would resist any attempt to displace them from the century-old community, Celestine added