A High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos has adjourned the case between one of the victims of the demolition in Ikota Low-Housing Estate, Eti-Osa Local Government council, Mr Olaoluwa Shittu and the Lagos State Government to January 2024.
Shittu had approached the court to seek redress after his house along with others were demolished by the developers in 2022 without adequate compensation.
While speaking after another adjournment of the case, he bemoaned that the victims of the demolition in Ikota Housing Estate were in a dire situation.
“I have not even started afresh that is why I am begging the governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to our aid.
“My loads are still hanging around. Some in the church and some places like that. I have to go and pay for an emergency place where I am sleeping for now. It is very far to where my place of work is located.”
“If they can look upon me and do something for me, maybe I can start life from there. I am not getting younger. I am an old man. Will the government employ me if I apply for any position on their list now? So, I don’t have anything to start all over. Give us compensation, maybe we can start life from there,” he said.
He stressed that he had to go to court as the last hope of the common man.
“Before they demolished my house, we rallied round and hired a lawyer to write a letter to the police headquarter, to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and to Governor Sanwo-Olu himself. They never did anything until they came to demolish the house.”
“I don’t have financial support. It is just by the grace of God. I am still believing in the court that they will do the right thing no matter what is happening around us.
“There is a particular letter which the developers gave to the people to write their name and their account numbers after which they will forward N70,000 to N150,000 to the account. Is that enough to build a house? They asked me to collect it and I said no. Because it cannot build my house. A trip of sand is now about N120,000.
The demolition of many houses in Ikota Low-Cost Housing Estate has affected many of the Maroko evictees that were relocated there by the Lagos State government during the military administration of Col. Raji Rasaki.
