Nigeria, March 2 -- Across Lagos, Benin City, Anambra and other urban centers of Nigeria, a disturbing pattern is unfolding with unsettling regularity: homes, shops, and community spaces are being torn down with executive force that appears increasingly indifferent to human consequence. Authorities call it urban renewal. Officials describe it as the restoration of order. But for thousands of ordinary citizens, what they experience is sudden displacement, economic devastation, and a growing belief that development has turned into a campaign against the very people it is supposed to serve.

Urban renewal is not the problem. Cities must evolve. Infrastructure must be modernized. Planning laws must be enforced. Environmental risks must be ad...