On May 4, the Lagos State Ministry of Environment ordered the demolition of houses in Mende Villa Phase 1, Maryland, Lagos, but ten months after these homes were pulled down, it has yet to decide on what to do.

One of the estate’s residents, who chose to be anonymous, told FIJ that since environment commissioner Tokunbo Wahab ordered the demolition of their homes over 10 months ago, the rubbles remained where they left them.

He told FIJ that he lost two of his homes, worth N190 million, in the demolition and was forced into a rented apartment.

“When the commissioner ordered for the homes to be demolished, two of my properties worth N95 million each were affected. I was staying in one and rented the other out,” he told FIJ on Thursday.

“I had to rent a small apartment in Anthony Village and gave out most of my properties to help store them until I can get a bigger apartment.”

He said the unexplained demolition affected him psychologically, and he still lives with the trauma.

READ MORE: 7 Weeks After ‘Angry’ Commissioner Ordered Demolition of Buildings in Lagos’ Mende Villa, Residents Still Don’t Know Why

“It affected my family and me psychologically, and the trauma and pain still exist,” he explained.

“My wife was at home, having her bath when they started the demolition. My house was the first they began with since it was on the corner piece. I was in Badagry that day when they started the demolition. By the time I got back, they had levelled my house, and all my properties were scattered everywhere.”

He stated that he has had to endure this without compensation or assistance from the state government.

For Sola Olarenwaju, the loss is not different, even though he does not reside in the estate. His property in Mende Villa was his first home and his family’s house. This same property was estimated to be valued at around N100 million.

He stated that the commissioner claimed the property was blocking the right of way but he had paid land use charge over the same property annually for 14 years.

Olarenwaju said he doubts the government’s intention of dredging a canal as they claimed was true as their actions in the last 10 months did not reflect it.

“I lived there since 2010, and it was demolished in 2024, 14 years later. For all I care, if I ever recall, I doubt the government has any real interest in dredging that canal. Every dredging effort there has been done by private individuals,” Olarenwaju told FIJ on Friday.

“It’s just one of those unfortunate situations where you have a confused government with no clear purpose. They came in with so much urgency, but in the end, they achieved nothing. Reflecting on it a year later, I realised the entire agenda was demolition, not development. The thing they made so much noise about remains undone. This is what happens when a government lacks empathy.

“The commissioner visited on a Sunday before that day, and our surveyor was meant to assess the site alongside theirs. Then, the following Saturday, he simply came and ordered the demolition, giving people only a few hours to gather their belongings.”

Olarenwaju added that since the buildings and fence around them were brought down, officials have failed to provide new coordinates for rebuilding, leaving the area exposed to security threats and environmental dangers.

“For eight months, the government failed to provide new coordinates for erecting a new fence, leaving the place exposed to security threats, reptiles, and all kinds of dangers.

“Imagine having your home torn down without proper communication, especially when you have government-approved documents proving you were in the right,” he told FIJ.

“I paid land use charges for 14 years, yet they still demolished the building. It’s not just negligence, it’s a blatant disregard for the people, a lack of empathy, and sheer wickedness.”

Another resident, who only wanted to be identified as Chris, said that the rubbles created by the government were still as they left them.

He said that besides the constant presence of the rubble, families who were displaced from their homes are yet to be compensated. He added that all the government officials who were in a haste to demolish the estate have all disappeared.

“One year after they came with their bulldozers to demolish the homes, nothing has been done,” Chris told FIJ on Monday.

“This makes me wonder what the demolition rush was about. The homes were demolished without notice, and no one has been compensated.

“No government official has even been bothered to check what has happened to the displaced families.”

READ ALSO: Lagos Gov’t Commences Demolition of Estate Buildings in Maryland

He stated that the government only recently approved the estate’s request to put up a fence for security.

“They didn’t initially approve but eventually did after claims they collected money,” Chris said.

“But you can see that the part that was demolished is still there; nothing has been done. They simply rushed to demolish our homes because the estate attempted to obtain a restraining order from the courts.

“Why did they rush to demolish when there was no immediate threat or planned use for the area? In any case, the estate had all the necessary approvals.”

The residents told FIJ that the court process involving the case had also been stalled due to the government’s non-responsiveness.

“The delays on the court case are caused by the non-responsiveness of government officials,” one of the residents said.

“We heard the court process is being delayed because there are some documents or information to be gotten from Wahab’s office,” Chris also said.

The residents said that they are expecting the government to pay compensation for their homes since they have all the necessary approvals and were not notified before the buildings were demolished.

On Wednesday, FIJ sent an email to the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Wahab’s office, for a follow-up on the estate’s demolition, but there had been no response at press time.

On June 26, FIJ reported how residents of the estate woke up to the unexpected demolitions of about 14 buildings. This was despite prior assurances from the Ministry of Environment that their homes were not under threat.

A week before the demolition, Wahab personally visited Mende Villa with a surveyor. Witnesses said he wanted to verify compliance with a 15-metre setback from the Odo Iya Alaro canal.

The surveyor’s report was never communicated, and instead, on the day of the demolition, Wahab abruptly ordered the buildings to be taken down after an argument over an internal document.

Adding to the controversy, a court had issued an injunction on May 3 restraining the ministry from proceeding with the demolition, but the government acted swiftly to bypass the order before it could be served.