The Lagos State Government has commenced the demolition of some buildings in Arowojobe (Greenland) Estate, Maryland, in the Kosofe Local Government area of the state.

More than a dozen officials of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources drove into the state to commence the action on Wednesday.

The ministry had marked not less than nine buildings for demolition on March 19. The property owners allegedly erected the buildings on a canal that flows through the back of the estate.

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Estate security guards attempted to prevent the officials from entering the residential estate, according to a senior security guard. However, the police officers following the demolition team cocked the butts of their guns in a bid to show the people that they could shoot. They eventually drove in.

The state agents explained that their presence was authorised by the governor. Using sledge hammers, they demolished some fences. While some residents were filming the action, some agents became aggressive, threatening to slap and seize their phones.

“We are warning you now; you don’t want to stop. You will stop by the time I slap you and seize your phone,” said one of the agents.

Addressing the claims of the residents that no written notice was served on them, an official said it was untrue. He said he was the one who served the written notices back in 2020, even when some of the houses had not been completed.

The man further said their demolition vehicle was already at Ajose, and that when they were done at Ajose, the vehicle would move to Seun Oni Close/Benjamin Onwughai, the two closes in Arowojobe Estate, where the affected structures are located, to bring them down.

While carrying out the demolition, all the workers tasked with destroying the fences did not use vital safety gear, such as nose masks and helmets. This exposed them to hazards associated with the exercise.

FIJ learned that some tenants in the affected properties had started moving out their belongings amidst confusion on where to go next.

Tokunbo Wahab, the commissioner for environment, had posted a 56-minute video clip of a meeting he had with some property owners from Sholuyi Estate, another residential area within the Kosofe LGA, on April 15.

Photos: Some of the affected buildings.

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The commissioner was seen in the video asking their chairman whether they had valid titles: “How many of you have a valid document over the land involved in this right of way? You are the chairman of one of the estates, Sholuyi. Do you have a governor’s consent? Do you have a CofO?”

The chairman’s response was negative to those questions. Wahab further asked whether the chairman had a building plan, to which he said yes. The chairman told a man who said he had a survey plan that the survey plan was just a description of his land and not a title document.