On May 8, 2025, authorities in Lagos, Nigeria, made headlines with a large-scale operation targeting homelessness.

The Lagos State Task Force apprehended 74 individuals living under bridges, spotlighting the city's ongoing struggle with a deepening housing crisis.

Shared through an X post by WHATSAPPBLOG9JA, the operation was captured in a striking image showing dozens of people, predominantly men, gathered in front of a building bearing the Lagos State Task Force logo, with a vehicle nearby hinting at their impending relocation.

Lagos, Nigeria’s economic powerhouse, is home to an estimated 500,000 homeless individuals, according to non-governmental organizations cited in a 2024 BBC report.

Many of these people, unable to afford even basic housing, have formed makeshift communities in places like Karkashin Gada, a settlement named after its location "Under the Bridge" in the Hausa language.

For decades, individuals like Liya’u Sa’adu, a 30-year resident of such a community, have survived by scavenging and selling materials like scrap metal.

Yet, these vulnerable groups face frequent raids by the Lagos State Environmental Task Force, which aims to clear public spaces deemed illegally occupied.

These operations often leave the homeless with few alternatives, as the government has not established shelters and instead focuses on housing initiatives for low-income workers.

The arrests on May 8 reflect a broader, systemic issue in Nigeria, where the housing deficit is staggering—estimated at 22 million homes by a 2019 UN report.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, has previously criticized Nigeria for criminalizing homelessness, urging the government to adopt a rights-based housing strategy and halt forced evictions.

Despite such recommendations, the Lagos Task Force’s actions suggest a preference for enforcement over rehabilitation, with those arrested often facing fines of up to 20,000 naira—an amount equivalent to a week’s earnings for many in these communities.

This incident also resonates with global challenges in addressing homelessness.

For instance, in April 2025, the U.S. Central District of California launched a task force to investigate fraud in homelessness funds, highlighting how systemic issues—like corruption or misallocation of resources—exacerbate the crisis worldwide.

In Lagos, the lack of sustainable solutions continues to leave thousands vulnerable, raising questions about the balance between urban development and the rights of the city’s most marginalized residents.