Thousands of people in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos are homeless after the city tore down a sprawling shanty town.

Makoko slum was home to nearly 10,000 people who lived in shacks built on stilts over a lagoon.

Distraught residents watched as officials used power saws and gasoline to remove their homes.

One woman said her belongings were tossed into the water and her children had gone missing.

Most of the residents said they were unprepared even though officials said they'd been given 72 hours to evacuate.

Pascal Agosu, a university student, grew up here and said in tearing it down, the government showed a blatant disregard for human rights.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) AN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS STUDENT AT LAGOS UNIVERSITY, PASCAL AGOSU, SAYING:

"Now the question is if the government want to make use of this place, why can't government inform these people officially or does that mean these people, they are no people at all."

Government officials say the demolition is part of a campaign to clean up the city.

They expect the population to more than double over the next decade from 16 million to 40 million.

Julie Noce, Reuters