Lagos task force pulls down illegal structures at Mile 2

Operatives of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit yesterday began the demolition of the numerous shanties and mechanic workshops at the Mile 2 end of the Mile 2-Badagry expressway. The operatives, in an overnight enforcement exercise, dislodged the scores of undesirable elements, who were said to have converted the area […]

Operatives of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit yesterday began the demolition of the numerous shanties and mechanic workshops at the Mile 2 end of the Mile 2-Badagry expressway.

The operatives, in an overnight enforcement exercise, dislodged the scores of undesirable elements, who were said to have converted the area to their den, and then commenced the demolition job.

The Taskforce had issued owners of shanties, mechanic workshops, containerised kiosks and commercial bus garages around government public schools in the Mile 2 area and the Badagry expressway up to Okokomaiko, Lagos, a notice to quit the axis. The order expired on Saturday.

Owners of the shacks there, many of who were also using the containerized stores as their sleeping quarters, watched from afar as the task force knocked down what they were once using for business.

The agency’s Chairman, Olayinka Egbeyemi, who led the enforcement team, stated that the removal exercise had become necessary following numerous complaints and petitions by residents, particularly the management of the public schools (Imoye High School and Amuwo Odofin Junior Secondary School) that had alleged criminals had turned the area into hideouts for their nefarious activities and consequently made the environment unpleasant for living and learning.

Egbeyemi said, “These removed illegal structures/shanties were identified for harbouring criminal elements who rob unsuspecting members of the public of their valuables and also served as an outlet for the sale of illegal hard drugs like tramadol, codeine, skunk, mixed liquor and weed to miscreants.”

“Lagos is the most populous state in Nigeria and the country’s economic heartbeat. As such, the zero tolerance for all forms of crimes and criminality by the present administration will be sustained.”

He restated that owners of the illegal business structures had turned the entire area into an eyesore, adding that when Taskforce officials paid an unscheduled visit to the area to confirm the allegations, they saw the surroundings of the public schools littered with refuse, used tyres/metals and abandoned vehicles/trucks, among other wastes.

Egbeyemi said the agency was forced to swing into action after the expiration of the removal notice and the illegal occupants remained there.

He implored all owners/occupants of illegal structures and shanties around public schools across the state to immediately remove them before the exercise reaches their various areas “as anyone caught would be seriously dealt with in accordance with the law.”

He disclosed that the agency had commenced verification of the claims of some occupants who had maintained they had legal documentation for

the payment of monetary compensation as approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.