Lagos govt destroys 1,700 illegal shanties in Agege

The operatives of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit on Sunday demolished over 1,700 illegal shanties and containerised shops in the Agege area of the state.

The agency’s chairman, Olayinka Egbeyemi, who disclosed this in a statement issued by the Head of the task force Public Affairs Unit, Adebayo Taofiq, said owners and occupants of the illegal shanties had been served a seven-day removal notice.

“This removal order which is from the government was based on a series of complaints about criminal activities around Fagba area of Agege,” he said.

Egbeyemi added that after the expiration of the removal order, the government gave the occupants of the shanties an additional 21 days to remove their belongings and vacate the area before the demolition exercise.

“These illegal shanties and containerised shops were occupied by miscreants and hoodlums who terrorised innocent citizens around Fagba, Iju-Ishaga and Pen-Cinema areas of the state.

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“These hoodlums robbed innocent citizens of their valuables, especially early in the day and late at night,” the task force chief added.

According to him, investigations conducted by the government revealed that hoodlums occupying the shanties were responsible for the destruction of public properties during crises.

“They were also responsible for looting of shops immediately after the recent #EndSARS protests around Agege.

“It was an eyesore with miscreants and hoodlums freely smoking and selling Indian hemp and prostitution by under-age boys and girls around Fagba railway lines,” Egbeyemi concluded.

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