Residents of a slum in Ikota, opposite Soko, in the Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, have lamented the demolition of their structures by some hoodlums reportedly guarded by soldiers and policemen.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the exercise, which started last week, threw landlords and residents into confusion.
The hoodlums, after storming the community with armed security agents, allegedly refused to present official documents authorising their action.
A tenant in one of the affected buildings, Emmanuel Inyang, said youths in the community protested against the demolition, adding that despite the protest, the exercise continued.
He said, “Last week, we noticed that some unknown people came with armed soldiers and policemen to start marking buildings and shanties for demolition. They refused to give us a notice and they never showed us any document to back their action. As they were demolishing, they were sand filling at the same time.
“We don’t know where they came from. The building where I live with my family was also marked and these people, including the security agents, were many. Youths in the area have been protesting as the Lagos State Government did not give us any information that they were coming to demolish buildings in the community.
“The affected place was where the government gave property owners whose buildings were affected by a demolition exercise in Maroko. My landlord’s property was affected then and he was given this place at Ikota and I have been staying in the place they gave my landlord since 1993.
“People went to the Lagos State Government Secretariat, Alausa; the council secretariat, Ajiwe; and the Ogombo Police Station to complain, but got no positive result. The women in the community also protested on Tuesday.”
Our correspondent, who visited the scene of the demolition on Wednesday, observed as policemen, men of the Oodua People’s Congress, among others, provided security to workers erecting a fence on the demolished portion of the land.
A police patrol vehicle was stationed at the site of the demolition, as some hoodlums were also seen monitoring the progress of the construction work.
A resident, who gave her name as Shade, said there was heavy security presence in the area because youths, who protested against the demolition, pulled down the fence erected to barricade the land.
“It was when those youths and aggrieved victims pulled down their fence during the protest that the security men were reinforced. At first, they gave people a chance to pack their property or remove valuables, including roofs, among others. But everything scattered after community youths pulled down the fence and there were gunshots.
“We heard that some people bought the land as most of the structures on it were not approved by the government. Soldiers, policemen, OPC members, and some hoodlums have been patrolling the area to stop people from trespassing,” Shade said.
Our correspondent also observed as scavengers picked building materials, including wood, roofing sheets, beds, among other valuables, at the scene of the demolition.
Three bulldozers were seen operating at the site as trucks took turns to deliver sand to fill the demolished portion of the land.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the area commander deployed policemen in the community to prevent any breakdown of law and order.
“I am not in the best position to know whether the demolition was approved or not,” he added.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said, “It is like there is a dispute there, but the government is trying to settle it for them.”
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