If you see a big red cross on the wall of your house in Maiduguri, you know you’re in trouble and your dwelling could be demolished any day.

The Borno Geographic Information Service (BOGIS), in collaboration with the Agency and Urban Planning and Development Board, said they were targeting illegal structures on roads, reservations and waterways in Maiduguri and its environs.

The move was also to prevent serious flooding, such as the one that had occurred in 1994 and which had caused havoc among residents, displacing tens of thousands of people.

The three main reasons for the demolition were that occupants did not have the correct certificate of occupancy from the state government, that structures had been built too close to waterways and that others had been built illegally on government roads.

Demolition of these structures started in Maiduguri about two months ago with some shops and housing structures being destroyed.

The decision to demolish the buildings caused a stir among residents, with some saying they had nowhere else to go. Others said the demolitions had a detrimental effect on their lives and livelihoods. Vendors complained that they had lost business.

Most of those affected said they had not been informed about the need to have the correct certificate of occupancy from the government. Many said they thought that having a certificate of occupancy from community leaders was all that was needed.

Some residents said they had inherited their houses and had been born and raised there. They said they had no reason to leave their homes.

Alhaji Muhammed Bala Ali said he had never been informed that by law he needed to have a certificate of occupancy from the state.

He begged the government to reconsider their decision.

“I am blind and I have 17 children living with me and no sources of livelihood,” he said.

“I was never informed about or guided on the necessity of having papers or a certificate of occupancy and ownership by the government. The only certificate I have I received from my community leader.”

Hadiza Bukar’s house was one of many bearing a large red cross on the wall. She said she had spent seven years in her house. Although she was aware that by law she had to have the right certificate of occupancy she said she and her family were living in poverty and they could not afford to buy the certificate.

“We knew no one could simply claim land or a house without the state certificate. But we have nowhere else to go. We will have to plead with the government to help us,” Bukar said.

She said her house was built on a government road and was close to waterways. “But no one told us that the building would be demolished. Suddenly there was a big red cross on the wall and we were told that meant the structure had to be destroyed.”

Muhammed Barde said it was only when his house was already marked with red paint that he was informed that he needed to get a certificate from the government for legal ownership and occupancy.

He said more than 50 houses were marked along in the area of Maduganari around River Ngadabul and many had been demolished to prevent the reoccurrence of the flood disaster in the state in 1994.

Barde said he had owned his house for about 20 years. “It is about 100m away from the other side of the river but it was still marked for demolition.”

Many residents said they were ignorant that such laws existed.

They also did not know that if they had the correct state certificate they might be eligible for compensation if their houses were demolished.

• A report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the 1994 floods said that, on September 13 that year, persistent heavy rains had burst the Alau Dam, 20km from Maiduguri, causing severe flooding in several towns in northern Nigeria.

A large number of people were displaced and left homeless and seven were reported dead in the eastern part of Maiduguri.

OCHA said that in Kebbi, more than 60,000 families were left homeless. In Lafia town in Plateau State, damage to crops and property amounted to several millions of naira.

Borno State government had released 1 million naira to aid flood victims.

In 2007, parts of Borno State were hit by flooding again and, according to the United Nations, about 300,000 people were affected by floods in Borno and Adamawa states in 2019.