Oworoshoki: Tears, sorrow as displaced residents trade belongings for food

Femi Fabunmi

Days after the Lagos State Government demolished homes at night in the Tolu Alashe area of Oworonshoki, many residents mostly women and children are still stranded without shelter or help.

According to a report by Vanguard, after paying a visit to the area stated that the once-lively community had turned into piles of rubble.

Broken blocks, roofing sheets, and abandoned belongings covered the ground where hundreds of families once lived peacefully.

Many people sat outside with their belongings scattered around. Some women, crying, tried to sell what little they had left.

Mrs. Rebecca, a mother of one, said she was heartbroken and even thought of ending her life after losing her home, shop, and savings.

“I have a spinal cord problem,” she said weakly, sitting beside an old pot and a fan. “After some treatment at the hospital, I came home hoping to sell a few things.

But before I knew it, they came at night and destroyed my house. I just finished paying ₦360,000 for two rooms. I almost killed myself, but my sister stopped me.”

Rebecca, who used to sell cooked food, now sells her remaining belongings to scrap buyers (“aboki”) for small amounts just to survive.

“I bought that fan for ₦35,000, but the aboki offered only ₦1,000. I don’t have a choice. I need money to eat and for medicine,” she said tearfully.

Many scrap buyers were seen around the area negotiating with women to buy their damaged property.

Another resident, Mrs. Jumai, said she and her children barely escaped that night.

“They came around 11 p.m. We were sleeping when neighbours shouted that bulldozers were coming. We ran out with whatever we could carry,” she said.

“They destroyed my house and my pepper soup shop. My children’s school was also here it’s all gone now. I don’t even know how to start again.”
Now, many displaced families in

Oworonshoki are left with nothing no homes, no schools, and no hope forced to sell their belongings just to stay alive.