'Just move them': Forced evictions in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Amnesty International, 2010, 32 pages

In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, thousands of people have been forcibly evicted from their homes in the city's waterfronts and adjoining districts as state authorities push through large-scale redevelopment plans.

Thousands of people, including children, women and the elderly, were made homeless and vulnerable to other human rights violations following the demolition of Njemanze street and Abonnema Wharf road settlements in 2009. If the authorities continue with planned demolitions of all remaining informal settlements in the waterfront areas, it is estimated that over 200,000 people will be at risk of forced eviction.

This short report documents the failures by the government of Rivers State to pu in place legal protections and other safeguards against forced eviction for all affected communities, such as adequate prior consultation and notice on evictions, adequate alternative accommodation and compensation, and effective remedies. The report also highlights the excessive use of force employed by nigerian security forces in the run-up to and during the evictions at Bundu waterfront.

Amnesty International is calling on the Rivers State authorities to immediately cease all forced evictions and to adopt a moratorium on all evictions from the waterfront areas in Port Harcourt. The moratorium must remain in place until all necessary safeguards are put in place to ensure that evictions are carried out in accordance with international and regional human rights standards.