Residents in the Jakande Estate area of Isolo Local Government Area, Lagos State, are reeling from the devastating loss caused by the demolition of rows of lockup shops in their community. The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA) deployed task force officials, accompanied by armed security officers, who arrived at the scene armed with chainsaws and sledgehammers on a fateful Wednesday afternoon.
The affected residents, mostly petty traders, shared their harrowing experiences, recounting how their lives were disrupted once the demolition began. In the aftermath of the demolition, traumatised traders were seen attempting to salvage whatever remained of their goods and valuables from the debris when Media Talk Africa visited the scene on Thursday morning.
One common complaint echoed by the traders was the lack of prior notice from the government regarding the demolition. However, a copy of LABSCA’s demolition notice was found on their website, contradicting the claim. The notice stipulated a seven-day grace period for owners/developers of identified structures to initiate the demolition process. Failure to do so would result in a clampdown by the LABSCA task force.
The notice read, “UNDERLISTED Distressed Structures in the State shall be removed by Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) having served all the statutory enforcement notices in consonance with the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development (Amendment) Law of 2019 and with no response from the respective Owner/Developer.”
Regrettably, many affected victims insisted that they had not received any demolition notice from the agency. Mrs. John, a widow who had been running a foodstuff and provisions shop in the community for over a decade, tearfully lamented how her livelihood was reduced to rubble in a matter of minutes.
“I’m shocked at how these people (LASBCA officials and security officers) came in great numbers and suddenly started demolishing our shops. They did not give us any notice. They came here, marked our buildings, started removing all our goods, and began demolishing all the shops here,” Mrs John cried through her tears.
Another trader, who preferred to remain anonymous, expressed their disbelief at the government’s cruelty towards the less fortunate. They declared their innocence, stating that they had been trading peacefully for many years without prior notice from the Lagos government. The trader pleaded with officials to allow them a few days to relocate their goods but was rebuffed with the explanation that they were acting on express orders to bring down the shops.
Mrs. Adetayo Asagba, LABSCA spokesperson, responded to the allegations by asserting that the shops were demolished because they had been constructed under electric wires in the estate. She cited the agency’s continuous warnings against building structures under high-tension and deemed the rows of shops to be illegal constructions.
“The occupiers in the shops were duly served notices before the demolition began. The last time they were served notices was last week,” added Asagba.
