Nigerian forces using gunfire to clear Lagos slum: Reports

Johannesburg - Rights groups say thousands of people are fleeing a Nigeria slum as security forces use gunfire and tear gas to make way for demolitions in defiance of a recent court order.

Amnesty International and Slum Dwellers International reported the operation on Friday in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub.

Amnesty International says bulldozers have destroyed the homes in the Otodo-Gbame waterfront community. The group's Nigeria researcher Morayo Adebayo says both the military and police are at the scene and calls it "chaotic and dangerous."

A High Court ruling in January prohibited such evictions, calling them "degrading," and told authorities to seek a settlement with residents instead.

Amnesty says over 30 000 Otodo-Gbame residents had been evicted in November but began to rebuild.