The Lagos State Government on Thursday began demolishing illegal and unsafe structures at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo in a bid to restore order and enforce physical planning laws.
Jubril Gawat, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, confirmed the operation in a post on X.
The operation targeted illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective structures, and buildings erected on road setbacks and drainages.
Gawat stated that the government could no longer ignore unapproved developments that harmed 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 setbacks and drainages in the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo Local Government area,” Gawat said.
The operation was carried out jointly by the Ministry of Physical Planning, the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority.
The Office of Infrastructure, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, and security agencies provided backup.
During the exercise, bulldozers were seen removing marked structures, while some traders and shop owners watched with concern.
The Sanwo-Olu administration has repeatedly urged locals to avoid constructing buildings without legal approvals or blocking drainage channels, emphasizing that such violations contribute to flooding, traffic congestion, and urban disorder in Lagos.
The dismantling of these constructions is part of the state’s continued efforts to preserve infrastructure and safety, since Lagos remains congested, and unlawful developments that block drainage and roadways exacerbate flooding, traffic jams, and urban disorganization.
However, previous exercises have elicited criticism from relocated homeowners, who allege they have lost their houses and were not given adequate notice.
In Oworonshoki, for instance, many stated that they were not given adequate time to relocate or safeguard their belongings.
It was gathered that State had run a government-mandated amnesty program that allowed owners of unapproved or irregular buildings to regularize 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 actively removing unlawful constructions throughout the city, particularly in areas where structures hinder drainage channels, block road setbacks, or are deemed unsafe or defective.
