The Radical Agenda Movement in the Nigerian Bar Association (RAMINBA) has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, demanding the withdrawal of charges filed against 28 residents of Makoko who were recently arraigned before a mobile court.
According to a press statement signed by RAMINBA Chairperson, Ayo Ademiluyi, the residents were arrested by police officers attached to the Lagos State Taskforce and subsequently arraigned within the Taskforce premises. They were ordered to be remanded at Badagry and Kirikiri correctional centres, with the case adjourned until October 3, 2025.
The affected residents, under the platform of Freedom in Makoko, Oko-Agbon, Sogunro and Iwaya (FREMOSI), were reportedly preparing to attend the inaugural Lagos State Waterfront Summit at Eko Hotel when Taskforce officials swooped in and carried out the arrests.
“This raises serious questions about the sincerity of the Lagos State Government in its purported dialogue with waterfront communities,” Ademiluyi said.
RAMINBA described the arrests as part of a wider clampdown on informal waterfront settlements, warning of looming evictions from communities in Oworonshoki, Ajegunle, and Makoko—where residents of Oko-Baba Plank Mill were evicted last year.
The statement further revealed that eviction notices were served on Makoko residents just a day before the arrests, fuelling fears of imminent forced displacement.
The group has threatened to embark on continuous protests if Governor Sanwo-Olu fails to instruct the Lagos State Attorney-General to withdraw the charges and secure the release of the detained residents within 24 hours.
