Lagos demolishes shanties around schools

The Lagos State Government has continued its ongoing removal of illegal structures around school premises with the exercise extended to the Ikotun area on Wednesday.

According Metro learnt that the operatives from the Enforcement Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the Environmental Taskforce Team stormed the Community Senior Grammar School in the morning, and ordered the traders occupying the structures to vacate them.

This was followed by an immediate removal of the structures by the operatives.

It was gathered that the occupants were served a notice before the operation.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Tokunbo Wahab, who posted some videos on X.com said the operation was carried out following the expiry of the notice.

He wrote, “In a joint operation between the operatives from the Enforcement Unit of Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the Environmental Taskforce Team, illegal structures/shanties surrounding Ikotun Senior High School, Ikotun was removed earlier today after expiration of notices served. This continued operation is meant to keep the school surroundings across the state clean and safe for learning.”

In the video, traders were seen hurriedly moving their goods out of the structures as the government officials prepared to pull them down.

Others were also seen moving what they were able to salvage away from the scene of the demolition.

Meanwhile, residents have accused some local council officials of allotting the space to them.

One of the residents who did not want his name in print for security reasons said, “The illegal structures you see around and the ones you see here are being rented out to the traders occupying them. They rent it out and thereafter collect levy from time from time to time.”

Another resident who identified himself simply as Shina said the structures were usually erected after the removal.

“Until the government starts to penalise those selling the places to them, the structures will keep springing up again. After waiting for some time after the demolition, those collecting levies from them wait for a while before they start to allot it to a new set of traders.”

According Metro had reported that operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps cleared illegal structures built around the fence of Salvation Army Primary School, Ayobo, Ipaja area of the state.