Makoko Demolition: How Teargas Killed My Only Son, Woman Explains

Christiana Babapitan, a resident affected by the Makoko demolitions carried out by the Lagos State Government, has recounted how her six-year-old son allegedly died after inhaling teargas fired during the exercise.

Babapitan said the demolition, which began in December last year and continued into January this year, turned tragic for her family when security operatives reportedly used teargas to disperse residents.

Speaking in an emotional interview with THE WHISTLER, she said her son collapsed after inhaling the substance while they were trying to escape the chaos.

According to her, the incident happened during one of the demolition operations in January.

She explained that as the exercise was ongoing, police officers were firing teargas around the area, forcing residents to flee for safety while also trying to salvage their belongings.

Babapitan said she was inside a boat at the time, attempting to secure her property and call her children to safety, when the situation spiralled.

“When the demolition was taking place, the police were shooting teargas,” she said. “I was inside the boat trying to save my things and calling the children to come inside so they could be safe.”

She said her son was running amid the confusion when he inhaled the teargas.

“I didn’t know when the teargas got to him. He fell down. We carried him to the hospital, but we lost him,” she said.

The grieving mother described the boy as her only son, saying his death has left her devastated.

“He was six years old,” she said. “Before I gave birth to that child, I suffered a lot. I had already given birth to five girls. He was my only son. I feel so bad. I cannot forget him.”

Babapitan also alleged that no government official had reached out to her family since the incident.

According to her, attempts to report the child’s death were met with disbelief.

“No, nobody has reached out,” she said. “When we mentioned it, they said it was a lie. They asked why we buried the child without the government’s notice. But we showed them what happened, and they still did not believe us.”

The demolition of parts of Makoko, a densely populated waterfront community in Lagos, sparked outrage among residents and rights advocates, many of whom accused the government of displacing vulnerable families without adequate notice, compensation or resettlement plans.

For Babapitan, however, the demolitions left a more personal and painful scar — the loss of a child she says can never be replaced.

Still living in Makoko, she and her family now sleep in a boat in the open after losing their home.

In January, the Lagos State Government defended the demolition exercise in Makoko. Speaking on the issue, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said evacuation notices had been served more than two years before the demolition to residents living within 150 to 250 metres of high-tension power lines.

The governor said the exercise was carried out in the collective interest of Lagos residents and for safety reasons, stressing that the government was not demolishing the entire Makoko community but clearing structures built under high-tension wires to avert disaster.

Also speaking at a press briefing in February, the Special Adviser to the Governor on eGIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, said the Makoko demolitions were part of a broader statewide safety initiative designed to prevent fire outbreaks, infrastructure failures, and related emergencies.

Despite this, civil society organisations and community advocates have criticised the demolitions, accusing the Lagos State Government of land grabbing and oppression.

Makoko, one of the largest waterfront communities in Lagos, is home to an estimated 200,000 residents, according to civil society groups. The recent demolitions displaced at least 30,000 people.

In January, the Coalition Against Demolitions, Forced Evictions, Land Grabbing and Displacements in Lagos said recent demolition exercises in Makoko, Owode Onirin, Oworonshoki, Otumara, and Baba-Ijora left 12 people dead.