The Lagos State Government on Thursday moved to demolish illegal and unsafe structures at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, in a bid to restore order and enforce physical planning laws.
Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Jubril Gawat, who confirmed the exercise in a post on X, said the operation was targeted at “illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective structures, and buildings erected on road setbacks and drainages.”
According to him, the government could no longer fold its arms while unapproved developments blocked critical infrastructure and endangered lives.
“The Lagos State Government has begun removal of illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals and defective structures, and structures built on road setback and drainages in the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo Local Government area,” Gawat said.
The operation was jointly carried out by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority.
Also present were the Office of Infrastructure, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, and security agencies who provided backup during the exercise.
Bulldozers were seen pulling down marked structures, while some traders and shop owners looked on with concern over the impact on their businesses.
The Sanwo-Olu administration has consistently warned residents against erecting buildings without proper approvals or blocking drainage channels, stressing that such violations contribute to flooding, traffic congestion, and urban disorder in Lagos.
The removal of these structures is part of the state’s ongoing efforts to protect infrastructure and safety, as Lagos remains highly congested and illegal developments blocking drainage and roads only compound flooding, traffic gridlock, and urban disorganisation.
However, past exercises have triggered backlash from displaced residents, who claim loss of homes and insufficient notice.
In Oworonshoki, for instance, many said they were not given adequate time to relocate or safeguard their belongings.
Lagos State had run a government-mandated amnesty programme that allowed owners of unapproved or irregular buildings to regularise their structures without penalty. That window, which had been extended multiple times, recently expired, and enforcement actions have grown in various parts of the state.
As the amnesty ended, LASBCA began active removal of illegal constructions across the city, especially in areas where structures obstruct drainage channels, block road setbacks, or are deemed unsafe or defective.
The PUNCH
