Eyewitness reports say some officials of the Lagos state government have set houses on fire in a bid to evict residents of Otodo Gbame community.

Otodo-Gbame community is a slum of shanties, peasants, mat-weaving fishermen and divers who are just a few meters away from the wealth, interlocked roads and high-rise buildings of Lekki Phase 1 and the rest of highbrow Lagos Island.

The eyewitness says government officials are forcefully evicting residents of the community with the help of policemen in boats.

According to a Twitter user @Justempower, men of the marine police also shot sporadically in the air.

The tweets from the eyewitness' handle also showed the lifeless body of a young boy, but it is unconfirmed if he was shot by the policemen.

He said “Boat of #OtodoGbame evictees just tried to approach the shore, & immediately Police started firing gunshots to turn them back.”

In March 2017, it was reported that the Lagos state government demolished structures in the community.