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Nigerian police evict thousands

LAGOS (Nigeria): Police broke down the gate of a huge housing complex to oust thousands of civil servants and their families on Friday in the latest mass eviction by a Government struggling to gain control of its chaotic and crowded cities.

Police officials were not available for comment on the evictions, but Umma Muhammed, a spokeswoman for tenants of 1,004 residences, said the move followed a decision by the Government to sell off several of its properties in a privatisation scheme.

Authorities have not provided the estimated 8,000 residents with other accommodation, she said. Amnesty International has called such evictions in Nigeria a human rights scandal. It was the third mass eviction of civil servants this week in Lagos, a city of more than 13 million.

AP

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