Hundreds of angry protesters on Friday stormed the streets of Lagos to demonstrate against worsening hunger and the ongoing demolition of buildings in the Oworonshoki area, accusing the state government of pursuing “anti-poor” policies that have displaced residents and deepened hardship across the state.
The demonstrators, led by the Take It Back (TIB) Movement in collaboration with several civil society organisations, began their march from Ikeja Bridge at about 10am and proceeded to the Lagos State Secretariat in Alausa, the seat of power, to demand an end to forced evictions and the rising cost of living.
Carrying placards with bold inscriptions such as “Stop the Demolitions,” “End Hunger Now,” and “Government Should Protect the Poor,” the protesters chanted solidarity songs as they moved under heavy security presence.
Eyewitnesses told SaharaReporters that several police officers and operatives of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) were stationed along major routes leading to Alausa to prevent possible disruptions and to monitor the crowd.
Speaking during the protest, one of the movement’s leaders accused Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration of “pretending to care about the poor while enriching a small circle of political elites.”
“We are here once again to remind the Lagos State government under Babajide Sanwo-Olu to stop playing games with the lives of the people of Oworonshoki,” one of the protesters said through a megaphone.
“If Sanwo-Olu wants to take the lands of Oworonshoki people, let him come out openly and do it with confidence instead of hiding behind faceless agents. Many residents have lived and worked there for 40 or 50 years, building their homes and livelihoods. Now the government wants to turn those same lands into luxury estates for the rich.”
Another protester alleged that powerful figures within Lagos State government agencies — including LASTMA and LASURA — had already “shared” Oworonshoki lands among themselves, referring to ongoing real estate projects being marketed as “New Banana Island” and “Elite Villa.”
“Go to Lekki, go to Victoria Island — you’ll see the same people advertising these so-called ‘elite estates’ that are built on the sweat and land of poor Lagosians,” the speaker added. “They have turned the pain of working people into profit.”
The demonstrators also used the rally to decry the worsening cost of living, describing the federal and state governments’ economic policies as “disastrous.”
“We are still buying tomatoes, rice, and palm oil at outrageous prices,” one protester said. “They keep saying the naira is stable, but importers are still exchanging at ₦1,450 to ₦1,500 per dollar. They told us that Dangote’s refinery would bring down prices — but Nigerians are still paying nearly 500 times what fuel cost before May 2023. These are lies built on lies.”
The Take-It-Back Movement (TIB), in collaboration with the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MoTion), had announced plans for a nationwide protest on Friday, October 17, 2025, to demand an end to “anti-people” government policies, rising poverty, and forced evictions under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to a joint statement signed by Adekunle Adeyemi Taofeek, the Lagos State Coordinator of TIB, the protest will begin at 7am at the Lagos State House of Assembly, with participants including workers, students, traders, and the unemployed.
The groups said the demonstration would be a “united call against crippling poverty, exploitative fuel tax, and oppressive tax reforms,” which, they argued, have worsened the living conditions of millions of Nigerians.
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