On Friday, Tokunbo Wahab, the Lagos State commissioner for environment and water resources, tweeted about the demolition of illegal structures in the state.

The structures, which were majorly residential buildings, had been built on waterways along Mobil Road in Ikota, Lekki Phase 2.

Checks by FIJ reveal that the government commenced the demolition exercise on Wednesday to address issues with drainage channels in the area.

FIJ also understands that the government issued a vacation notice for long before the event commenced. However, residents declined to move.

Earlier today, I led the Permanent Secretaries and other Directors of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources to an on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing demolition of illegal structures built on canals and waterways along Gedegede – Mobil road – Ikota drainage…1/3 pic.twitter.com/YkWBsnzlhh

— Tokunbo Wahab (@tokunbo_wahab) October 13, 2023

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When FIJ visited the site on Tuesday, six days after the demolition kicked off, it was in response to some questions raised concerning the exercise. A Nigerian tweep, with the handle ChuksEricE, made a post on Saturday, where he claimed that the “Lagos State Government just demolished a whole estate, not one house, the whole estate in Lekki”.

Lagos state Government just demolished a whole estate, not one house, the whole estate in Lekki 😭😭💔💔#Nigeria #Opay #kano pic.twitter.com/ldiPnDHL6G

— CHUKS 🍥 (@ChuksEricE) October 14, 2023

As expected, his post sparked controversy online. While many were in favour of the demolition, others shared a differed opinion and asked questions like “Did the affected residents get approval from the Lagos state government before building?”, “Who gave them the permit from the state government to build there?”, “Who had the authority to sell the land to them?”, “Who signed off the building plan approval?” and “Who gave the developer approval?”

NOT AN ENTIRE ESTATE

So, on Tuesday, this reporter visited the exact area in Lekki hoping to speak with some of the affected residents. Contrary to claims that the government demolished an entire estate, this reporter found that many houses in the area were still standing.

The government only demolished lines of houses that were near the water channel.

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POLICE OFFICERS

Armed police officers and officials of the state environmental task force were still manning the site on Tuesday. At least three vans were stationed along Mobil Road in Lekki, indicating a continued presence and heightened security measures.

Some of these officers were scattered across the area, perhaps to maintain a visible presence. While some sat in the vans, this reporter observed others positioned in different places within the vicinity. Other officers had also joined the workers who were still engaged in the ongoing demolition activities at the site.

ROARING TRACTORS

The vibrating roar of tractors on the site showed that the government was still at work. This reporter counted three trucks in operation; they were clearing and levelling the uneven rubble at the site.

One notable observation was that the workers were focused on the already-demolished buildings. There was no activity on the houses that stood tall behind the fallen structures.

This reporter overheard one of the workers saying, “Those houses behind need to be demolished too. I don’t understand how they will look at something like this and build on it.”

This speaker was specifically referring to the adjacent row of houses located near the demolished ones.

UNRESPONSIVE, ‘HOSTILE’ RESIDENTS

As the monotonous vibration of the tractors continued, this reporter spotted residents and shop owners standing idly here and there.

They watched the site from afar, and their gestures at a glance confirmed the subject of their conversation — the demolition. Many of the onlookers were traders, shop owners, Point of Sale (PoS) vendors and artisans whose businesses were near the demolition site.

Unlike the previous videos shared on social media, where affected residents could be seen pleading with the authorities, there was nothing like that this time around. Instead, an air of resignation filled the air. There were no tearful or visibly distressed residents lingering in the vicinity.

When this reporter tried to start conversations about the demolition without drawing undue attention to herself, a few of the onlookers re-echoed the report that the residents had occupied an illegal land.

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A resident, who simply identified himself as Obasi, told FIJ that he was at the venue when the houses were knocked down last week.

“They talk say dem bin build house where dem no suppose do so. I dey there just dey watch that day. Wetin I hear be say them no get permit,” he narrated in Pidgin.

However, when this reporter attempted to speak with some of the residents as a journalist, she encountered obstacles. The residents either pointed her to someone else or promptly stepped back, saying, “Oh, I don’t live here” or “I don’t know anyone whose house was affected”.

A vulcaniser initially directed this reporter to a shop that sells household items. As an afterthought, he said the reporter could walk through the debris for the possibility of speaking with residents whose houses were not affected.

“The house of the owner of the shop was affected. You can speak with her,” said the vulcaniser.

As the reporter walked towards the shop, two women stepped out of the place, and from their conversation, this reporter could deduce that one of them owned the shop.

They walked towards the demolition site while continuing with their interaction. But like the previous residents, who remained tight-lipped about the situation, the two women declined to speak.

“You can go and check the houses behind and see if you can get to speak with landlords or house owners in the area,” one of them told FIJ.

When the reporter got to the said area, about 10 people stood in front of different apartment blocks conversing with one another. The first two residents claimed they did not stay in the area.

The subsequent attempts to speak with more residents were equally futile. A woman sporting a tinted, low haircut stood on the porch of her home. When FIJ approached her, she did not hide her scepticism about the prospect of any positive outcome from speaking with journalists.

“Journalists have been using us to catch a cruise. What will your story even do? Nobody will speak with you. Your people have come with their cameras and all. They only put it on social media and that’s all,” she said.