The civil society organisation Spaces for Change (S4C) has strongly condemned the ongoing demolition of business premises at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, demanding immediate justice and compensation for affected traders.
The demolitions, which began on September 25, have impacted numerous plazas, malls, and shops.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Victoria Ibezim Ohaeri, the organisation challenged the Lagos State Government’s official justification for the exercise, which was to “remove illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective structures, and structures built on road setback and drainage.”
According to S4C, its investigative team visited the site and met with victims, the management of the Trade Fair Complex, and traders’ associations. The findings, the group stated, “not only contradict the Lagos State Government’s position but also highlight grave injustices and economic sabotage.”
A key point of contention raised by S4C is the legal authority over the complex. The organisation cited the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Management Board Act of 1993, which grants the federal board the power to administer the complex and regulate the erection of new structures.
“Victims further alleged that they have building approvals issued by the Board through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing,” Ohaeri stated. “This directly contradicts the claims of the Lagos State Government about the status of the approval for these buildings, which are directly under the administration of the Federal Government.”
The report also alleges severe procedural failings and human rights abuses, claiming the demolitions were executed without prior notice or consultation. “Those protesting the demolitions by security agencies and non-state actors mobilised by the state were physically abused,” the statement read. “Collectively, these acts have thrown victims into a state of despair, with some of them currently hospitalised as they are in severe shock and health distress.”
S4C described the demolitions as “brazen acts of injustice” that demonstrate insensitivity to the country’s current economic climate and send a “message of hostility to potential business investments in Lagos State.”
The organisation has issued a clear set of demands, calling on the Lagos State Government to immediately retract its steps, offer necessary compensation to all victims and engage in inter-agency collaboration with the federal Management Board to prevent a recurrence.
“Justice must not be delayed, negotiated, or denied in this case; it must be delivered with urgency and without compromise,” Ohaeri concluded. “Those responsible for this unconstitutional act must be held accountable, not with half-measures or empty promises, but through decisive action that restores confidence in the rule of law. Anything less is a betrayal of the people’s trust and an affront to humanity itself.”
