PUBLIC OUTCRY AGAINST THE IMPENDING ILLEGAL DEMOLITION OF OUR COMMUNITIES Gentlemen and women of the press, we have

called this press conference to take our plight to public spaces and create awareness about the constant harassment and intimidation of our communities under one guise or the other with the present situation being the escalation of the process of demolition of houses and structures in the Otto/Ilogbo, Railine, Otto Central and Ilaje/Otumara communities, Lagos Mainland Local Government of Lagos state by officials /persons purporting to be servant of the Lagos state government working from instruction from the Lagos state government. Our contentions are as follows: 1. We do not believe this current demolition drive is from the Lagos state government as we have initiated a legal action at the high court of Lagos state against the Lagos state government and others in suit No M/710/2011 filed on the 11th of August 2011 asking for an injunction restraining the government or any of its agencies from demolishing our houses. 2. We also know that all demolition plans as from 17th December 2009 in Lagos state must be approved in written by his Excellency Governor Babatunde Fashola and where permission has earlier been granted before the above date then such approval must be present to his Excellency for revalidated .This was published in the Lagos state government circular No. 167 ref. No CIR/HOS/09/VOL.1/167 of December 17, 2011. We are sure the present demolition drive does not fulfill either of the above criteria.

We are calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to please help us from this impending debacle that is about to befall us. We are concerned the government has not found it expedient to talk to us concerning alternative arrangement for accommodation for us if we are eventually force-out of our current abodes this is unlike the Governor Fashola we know. We are a community of about 85,000 Nigerians and rendering us homeless would have dire consequences on our families and friends alike and we know this would also bring about other social problems resulting from displacement. Thank you.