Lagos Demolishes Over 200 Shanties In Statewide Exercise
The Lagos State Government has demolished more than 200 illegal shanties and dislodged squatters from under bridges in Apapa, Ijora, and Costain as part of a citywide effort to restore order, enhance public safety, and reclaim encroached public spaces.
The large-scale operation, which also led to the evacuation of abandoned vehicles, was coordinated by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, in collaboration with several state agencies, including the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), and the Nigeria Police Force.
During the enforcement exercise, LASTMA officials discovered a dummy gun and other dangerous weapons hidden within makeshift structures beneath the Costain Bridge.
“This alarming revelation underscored the exigency of the intervention and validated the state government’s proactive stance against festering criminal hideouts in key transportation corridors,” stated a statement on Friday by LASTMA’s spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq.
Giwa described the illegal structures and criminal activities around the areas as “a monumental affront to public decency, environmental order, and the collective security of Lagosians.”
He said the exercise was necessary to curb traffic robberies, drug peddling, and other unlawful acts that had become prevalent in the area.
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He further explained that the operation also targeted unauthorised garages and abandoned trucks converted into criminal dens under the Ijora Bridge.
“No responsive and responsible government would countenance such brazen lawlessness within vital infrastructural zones that sustain the State’s socio-economic engine,” he said.
Giwa warned that any attempt by displaced miscreants or illegal occupants to return to the cleared areas would be met with stiff sanctions, adding that the Sanwo-Olu administration remains committed to sustaining the ongoing urban renewal and environmental enforcement efforts across the metropolis.
He commended the collaboration among the participating agencies and urged residents to remain law-abiding and support the government’s drive toward a cleaner, safer, and more orderly Lagos.
