Nigerian forces using gunfire to clear Lagos slum: Reports

FILE - In this Saturday Nov. 12, 2016 file photo, children carry plastic chairs salvaged from the demolished houses that was set ablaze by government officials in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria. 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 Friday, March. 17, 2017 in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 file photo, Residents salvage objects from the demolished houses that were set ablaze by government officials in Lekki, Nigeria. 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 Friday, March. 17, 2017 in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 file photo, residents salvage objects from the demolished houses that were set ablaze by government officials in Lekki, Nigeria. 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 Friday, March. 17, 2017 in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File) (The Associated Press)

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 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.