Restitution and Reparations in Nigerian Urban Land Policy: A Case Study of Displaced Communities in Lagos

Context and background Land governance in post-colonial African cities continues to be shaped by historical injustices that have dispossessed communities through exclusionary urban planning, informal settlement demolitions, and legally sanctioned evictions. This paper explores the intersection of land governance, reparative justice, and urban planning in Lagos, Nigeria—one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing cities. It examines whether and how reparations and restitution have been addressed in the case of historically displaced urban communities, focusing specifically on Maroko (evicted in 1990) and Otodo Gbame (evicted in 2016–2017). Goal and Objectives: The research is motivated by the broader 2025 AU theme—Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations. It seeks to situate Nigerian urban land governance within continental debates on restitution, equity, and inclusive development. The paper interrogates the legacy of colonial land-use laws, such as the 1917 Land and Native Rights Ordinance and its reincarnation in the 1978 Land Use Act, which centralise land ownership under state governments and enable evictions in the name of “public interest”, without clear compensatory frameworks for urban poor populations. Methodology: The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining legal and archival research and spatial data analysis, to examine how Nigeria’s 1978 Land Use Act and urban planning frameworks facilitate forced evictions under the guise of public interest. Furthermore, it employs a justice and reparations framework to examine the moral and legal obligations of state institutions to address historical land injustices and restore community livelihoods. Results: Despite constitutional provisions for compensation, both communities were evicted without due process or reparations, highlighting systemic governance gaps and limited accountability. We propose a reparative framework centred on historical redress, socio-economic inclusion, and participatory planning, as well as the reform of legal and institutional mechanisms to ensure tenure security and equitable urban development.