Deborah Akinyosoye
There was panic yesterday at Oworonshoki community in Lagos after more than 70 residential buildings were demolished at Ajileru, Ososa Extension, and Toluwalase Streets, barely days after a Lagos High Court order restrained the state government and its agencies from carrying out any further demolition in the area.
In a ruling delivered on October 23, 2025, Justice A.G. Balogun of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, in Suit No. ID/9910GCM/2025, granted an interim injunction restraining the Lagos State Government, the Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), whether by themselves, their servants, agents, privies, contractors, or assigns, from continuing with the demolition of properties allegedly belonging to members of the Itesiwaju Ajumoni Community Development Association (CDA).
The judge’s order specifically prohibited the respondents from creating any third-party interest or encumbrance over the said properties located at Ajileru Street, Ososa Extension, and Toluwalase Extension within the Itesiwaju Ajumoni CDA, Oworonshoki area of Lagos, measuring approximately 30 hectares.
Justice Balogun held that the restraint would subsist pending compliance with the Pre-Action Protocol for Land Matters as provided under the High Court of Lagos State (Expeditious Disposal of Civil Cases) Practice Direction No. 2 of 1999.
The court further directed the applicants, led by Pastor Jonathan Olusegun Ojo, Apostle Jacob Oladele Ola, and others, to serve their Memorandum of Claim and accompanying documents on the respondents within 72 hours of the ruling, and to file an affidavit of service before the next adjourned date.
Justice Balogun emphasized that both parties must comply fully with the pre-action protocol to ensure fair hearing and avoid abuse of court processes. The matter was adjourned to December 9, 2025, for a report of compliance.
However, despite the subsisting injunction, bulldozers allegedly escorted by security operatives rolled into the community around midnight on Saturday, pulling down houses and displacing hundreds of residents, including the elderly, pregnant women, and children.
Eyewitnesses said the demolition team operated under the cover of darkness, pulling down structures that had been spared in earlier phases.
“Our homes were demolished in the middle of the night without warning, despite the court injunction. People slept outside in the cold with their children. This is inhumane,” lamented a distraught landlord, Mr. Adewale.
Another heavily pregnant resident, who identified herself simply as Adenike, described the experience as traumatic.
“They told us the court had stopped the demolition, so we stayed. But around 1 a.m., bulldozers came again. I ran out barefoot with my children. We lost everything,” she said tearfully.
Leaders of the Itesiwaju Ajumoni CDA condemned the demolition as “a violation of the rule of law” and “a betrayal of public trust,” insisting that no compensation or enumeration had been carried out before the renewed demolition.
Legal representatives of the community confirmed that Justice Balogun’s order remains valid and enforceable, warning that the latest demolition constitutes contempt of court.
“The actions of those behind this demolition represent a flagrant disregard for judicial authority. We will be filing a formal petition and contempt proceedings in the coming days,” one of the lawyers revealed.
The disputed land, estimated at 30 hectares, has long been the subject of a protracted dispute between residents and unidentified developers.
As of yesterday, the once-vibrant community had turned into a wasteland, with displaced families rummaging through the rubble for what remained of their belongings.
The residents have appealed to the Lagos State Government, human rights groups, and the Federal Government to intervene urgently to stop further hardship and uphold the sanctity of the court’s order.