Demolitions Return to Waterfront Lagos Slum

Tens of thousands of slum dwellers living in stilt-supported shacks on the lagoon on the southwestern side of Lagos, Nigeria, are being forcibly removed from their homes as government demolition crews move in to tear down the shanty village, AFP reports. A fishing village occupied mainly by migrants, the Makoko slum is situated half in the lagoon and half on land. Only the buildings stilted above the lagoon are being demolished.

Officials are targeting the slum as illegal and environmentally unsafe. With no sewers or formal infrastructure, human waste and garbage are regularly dumped directly into the lagoon, which is also the fishing area and a main economic driver for the city. Another demolition effort last August targeted 500 lagoon shanties. The current effort is expected to be more comprehensive.