Coastal Highway: Protesters Demand Justice for Displaced Landowners, Release of Detained Activist
A coalition of civil society organisations staged a peaceful protest in Lagos on Wednesday to demand justice for displaced landowners in Okun Ajah and the immediate release of a detained activist, Obanla.
The protest which was observed by FCNN took place at the annex office of the Federal Ministry of Works, Tafawa Balewa Square.
The demonstrators alleged that residents and landowners in the Okun Ajah area were forcefully displaced without proper consultation or compensation as part of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
Shina Loremikan, coordinator of the coalition, decried what he described as a pattern of intimidation and abuse by government officials and private developers linked to the project.
He claimed Obanla was forcibly taken by military personnel during a land clearance operation at the Winhomes project site and had since not been seen.
“The current highway realignment has displaced numerous residents without due process,” Loremikan said. “We cannot accept the use of national development as a cover for land grabbing. The use of state power to suppress and dispossess legitimate landowners must end.”
He expressed concern over Obanla’s continued disappearance. “Since his arrest, no one — not his family, friends, or community members — has been able to reach him. All inquiries at police stations and the state command have yielded no results,” he said.
Loremikan warned that the protests would continue and escalate, including formal petitions to military authorities, if Obanla is not released. “A simultaneous protest is taking place in Abuja. No government agency has the right to abduct a citizen for speaking up,” he added.
The coalition emphasized that the protest was not only about Obanla but also about defending the rights of all communities affected by the highway project.
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They submitted a petition to the Ministry of Works, outlining key demands, including justice for displaced residents, fair compensation, and an end to what they described as “militarised evictions.”
A representative of the Minister of Works received the petition and assured the protesters that their concerns would be relayed to the relevant authorities.
