09.04.2008 - Source: BBC News

Home buyers are tear gassed and flogged whilst queueing to buy houses sold off by the civil service ("Chaos at Nigerian home sell-off") [ID 22903]

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) continued to demolish homes and businesses without paying compensations ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 19702]

"The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) continued to demolish homes and businesses in the Federal Capital Territory in spite of multiple court injunctions prohibiting further demolitions. The government typically claimed that the homes or offices that were demolished lacked proper permits and consequently did not provide compensation to the owners, who were sometimes able to produce paperwork indicating the structures were built legally. There was no transparent legal process for deciding which homes would be bulldozed, and those who had their homes bulldozed had no recourse to appeal and received no compensation. The FCDA maintained the public position that the homes and offices did not comply with the master plan for the city. Hundreds of thousands of persons had been left homeless by demolitions that occurred over the past two years, and estimates of the number of homes and offices destroyed varied widely. There was widespread opinion that the demolitions were primarily motivated by corruption and discrimination based on socioeconomic class since mostly lower and middle class persons lost their homes, which were then sold to wealthy persons with connections to government officials."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) demolished several buildings in 2007 claiming that those buildings were built disregarding planning rules ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23160]

"On June 14, the FCDA demolished part of the office complex of Daar Communications PLC, owner of Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Ray Power Radio in the Asokoro area of Abuja. Three buildings, including those housing the studios and operations center, were destroyed. The FCDA claimed the station disregarded FCT planning rules, encroached on neighboring property, and was using residential premises for commercial purposes. However, Ladi Lawal, Managing Director of Daar, said that the FCDA visited and inspected the site on several occasions whíle it was being built. Following his July appointment as minister of the FCT, Aliyu Modibbo Umar launched an investigation into the demolitions conducted by the previous minister and soon announced that demolitions would continue in order to restore the city's "master plan." On August 11, he ordered the demolition of the FCT Police Command, claiming the building lacked approval to be there. On August 20, the governor of Nassarawa State, Aliyu Akwe Doma, announced plans to demolish the "slums" bordering the FCT. The unplanned housing areas expanded in Nassarawa over the year due to the forced eviction of persons from Abuja."

Document(s): Open document

28.08.2007 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Port Harcourt: Government plans to demolish several slums could spark ethnic tensions, fuel violence, and leave up to 100,000 homeless ("Demolition plans bring new ethnic twist to Port Harcourt conflict") [ID 21495]

Document(s): Open document

07.2007 - Source: International Organization for Migration

Building Houses in Nigeria ("Country of Origin Information: Nigeria") [ID 20815]

"Building a house in Nigeria is relatively expensive and the cost of construction depends on the type of house one wants to build. For instance a simple 3 bedroom bungalow in Nigeria will cost an average of 4 million naira to construct. To rebuild a house the individual has to approach the town planning authority and resubmit his building plan for approval. The relevant authority at the Federal level is the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Town Planning Authorities and Department at the state and local government levels."

Document(s): Open document

07.2007 - Source: International Organization for Migration

Available Housing ("Country of Origin Information: Nigeria") [ID 20816]

"There are a number of different types of housing available which come under three broad categories.

1. Government owned housing: These are residential houses owned by the Federal or State Government or rented by them for their employees. They are usually allocated to Civil Servants and government employees or certain grades and category. Rent for such houses are deducted monthly from salaries.

2. Privately owned housing for the public: These are buildings owned by individuals and rented out to members of the public. Usually to lease such properties, the landlord requests for a minimum of two years rent as advance payment.

3. Houses owned by companies, private organizations, banks etc: These are allocated to staff of such organizations."

Document(s): Open document

07.2007 - Source: International Organization for Migration

Housing space and renting costs ("Country of Origin Information: Nigeria") [ID 20817]

"Housing space varies greatly. The following are generic formats of housing available

• one room accommodation with shared facilities,
• a room self contained (with kitchen, toilet and bathroom),
• a one, two, three, four bedroom flat,
• a bungalow or a duplex

Costs for different types of accommodation vary on the basis of quality, location and space. Accommodation is high in the major cities in Nigeria such as Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt. For instance a one room accommodation with shared facilities could cost as low as 18,000 Naira (134USD) per year in states such as Benue and Enugu in Nigeria but these may be of low quality and poorly maintained. When renting accommodation an advance payment has to be made to a landlord for a specified period. Usually it is for a 1 year to a 2 year period, although it could be less based on agreement with the landlord. There is no fixed price for accommodation. Below are estimates of rates of rent taken during 2006. The USD figures are an approximation of the minimum rate"

Document(s): Open document

23.05.2007 - Source: Amnesty International

Several incidents of forced evictions were reported ("Annual Report 2007") [ID 20173]

"Several incidents of forced evictions were reported as well as frequent threats of forced eviction. Nigeria was named one of the three worst violators of housing rights by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions. Development under the Abuja Master Plan resulted in several incidents of forced evictions. In November the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory reportedly stated that some 80 per cent of the houses demolished in Abuja city centre and its environs did not qualify for compensation because they had been built illegally."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Soldiers destroyed homes to avenge killings of military personnel ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19703]

"Soldiers also destroyed homes to avenge killings of military personnel. For example, on August 24, soldiers burned a slum outside of Port Harcourt following the killing of an army sergeant by militants in the area. An estimated 3,000 persons were displaced. The military denied responsibility, and the government was not expected to pay compensation to the victims."

Document(s): Open document

21.09.2006 - Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (formerly Global IDP Project)

In the last 5 years forced evictions affected more than a million people in Lagos, hundreds of thousands in Abuja ("Heightened risk of violence and displacement ahead of 2007 elections") [ID 18025]

"In addition, in the commercial capital Lagos, forced evictions by the authorities are reported to have affected more than one million people in the last five years (AI, 24 January 2006), as well as hundreds of thousands in the federal capital Abuja (HIC, 1 June 2006)."

Document(s): Open document

23.05.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

During 3 days in April approximately 3,000 residents were evicted from Makoko in Lagos ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 17611]

"In a number of mass forced evictions, thousands of people were made homeless without adequate notice, compensation or the provision of alternative housing. During three days in April approximately 3,000 residents were evicted from Makoko in Lagos. The Lagos State administration engaged police officers to execute a court order to restore the area to its owners, but failed to give adequate notice or provide alternative accommodation to people living on the land. The police reportedly used tear gas, and beat and kicked residents, including five young children, to force them from their homes. The many buildings demolished included a church and a medical centre."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) continued to demolish homes and businesses ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46036],  [ID 17085]

"Throughout the year the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) continued to demolish homes and businesses in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Thousands of homes in the suburbs of Karmo, Kado, and Lugbe were deemed illegal squatter settlements and bulldozed. In April the FCDA bulldozed some 400 houses, small hotels, and other businesses in the middle-class suburb of Kubwa. On April 27, the House of Representatives passed a resolution ordering an end to the demolitions, claiming that many houses had been approved by the FCDA or previous FCT ministers. The Abuja high court also issued an injunction on the FCT minister to stop further demolition, which he rejected on grounds that the high court only had jurisdiction if there had been a lower court decision. In September businesses in two high rent districts of Abuja were demolished, as was a police station in Lugbe. On November 28, the government announced that about 1,500 houses in Chika had been bulldozed, leaving an estimated 10 thousand people homeless; however, observers estimated that 2 square miles of dense one-story housing had been bulldozed, leaving some 95 percent of the estimated 500 thousand residents homeless. Although the FCT minister announced in November that the demolitions would finish by December, the demolitions continued at year's end. On February 3, the FCDA demolished "illegal structures" at the large Wuse Market in Abuja. Hundreds of police officers used tear gas to clear crowds from the market before some 7,500 shops and stands were bulldozed. Vendors were not allowed to remove their inventories before the shops were demolished. No compensation was paid to vendors whose shops and inventories were destroyed. In March and April the Rivers State government demolished a shanty town in Port Harcourt, leveling hundreds of dwellings and displacing thousands of persons."

Document(s): Open document