The Lagos State Government on Thursday began demolishing illegal and unsafe structures at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo as part of its efforts to restore order and enforce physical planning regulations
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Senior Special Assistant on New Media, Jubril Gawat, confirmed the exercise in a post on X, explaining that it targeted unapproved developments, defective buildings, and structures erected on road setbacks and drainage channels.
Gawat stated that the government could no longer allow illegal developments to obstruct critical infrastructure or endanger lives.
The operation was carried out by a joint team comprising the Ministry of Physical Planning, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, and the Physical Planning Permit Authority. Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, officials from the Office of Infrastructure, and security personnel were also present to provide support.
Bulldozers were deployed to pull down the marked structures as traders and shop owners looked on anxiously, worried about the effect on their businesses.
The Sanwo-Olu administration has repeatedly warned against erecting buildings without proper approvals or blocking drainage channels, noting that such violations worsen flooding, traffic congestion, and urban disorder in the state.
This latest demolition follows the expiration of a government amnesty program that gave owners of unapproved structures the chance to regularize their buildings without penalty. With the window now closed, LASBCA has intensified enforcement actions across Lagos, focusing on illegal constructions that obstruct roads, drainage systems, or pose safety risks.
Similar exercises in the past have sparked criticism from affected residents, who often complain of inadequate notice and loss of homes and businesses.
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