A carpenter, Papa Eve Amossou, has recounted how he lost his three-week-old daughter, Morenikeji, during the demolition exercise carried out last week by the Lagos State Government in the Makoko area.
According to Amossou his wife fell into the lagoon with their newborn while attempting to escape the chaos that erupted after policemen attached to the task force fired tear gas.
According to him, the officers said they did not want residents gathering in groups, prompting people to flee in different directions.
“My wife was trying to move away from the area with our baby when she slipped and fell into the lagoon with her,” he said. “We rescued them from the water and rushed to the hospital, but I was told that my daughter had already died before we arrived.
“God saved my apprentice, who also fell into the lagoon that day. This incident has completely devastated my family.”
Amossou also disclosed that his workshop was demolished during the exercise, leaving him without a source of livelihood.
“I am a carpenter, and I have lived here all my life. My workshop was pulled down, and now I have no job,” he said.
Meanwhile, some community leaders alleged that at least five residents died during and after the demolition. They claimed that two children and three adults lost their lives in different parts of the waterfront community.
A community chief, Francis Samson, told newsmen that he received reports of deaths from several sections of Makoko following the exercise. He added that although there had been an agreement with the government to demolish structures within 30 metres of the power line along the lagoon, the exercise extended to about 520 metres from the high-tension poles.
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Another community leader, Oluwo Fasinu Felix, corroborated the claims, stating that repeated appeals to the government to clearly mark the demolition boundary had produced no results.
When contacted, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the government was not aware of any reported deaths, adding that the allegations would be investigated.
Similarly, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Gboyega Akosile, denied that any deaths occurred during the demolition.
“During the demolition? Please, get your facts right. Nothing of the sort happened during the exercise,” Akosile said.
Recall that Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had earlier defended the demolition of structures in Makoko, saying the action was taken to avert a potential tragedy.
The demolition has continued to attract reactions from stakeholders across the country.