Lagos Begins Demolition of Shops, Kiosks in Abesan Housing Estate

By Segun James

A few days after the Lagos State government denied a report by the Amnesty International (AI) accusing it of forceful eviction and demolition of homes in various parts of the state, the state Ministry of Environment has begun the demolition of shops, kiosks, containers and attachments to buildings in the state-owned Abesan Housing Estate, Ipaja, Lagos.

The demolition in the estate, which houses over 60,000 inhabitants and is reputed to be the biggest in the nation, is consequent upon a notice to the residents last Tuesday that the exercise would commence immediately.

This is sequel to an abatement of nuisance notice served by the ministry to the President of the Abesan Estate Residents’ Association (AERA), Pastor Kehinde Ogundimu, on Tuesday November 14, 2017.

According to the notice, the contravention has constituted nuisance to the environment, which include indiscriminate placement of metal containers within the estate, erection of illegal attachment to the buildings as well as erection of shanties within the environment.

Residents were ordered to abate the nuisance and restore the land to a conducive environment within 72 hours, failure which the environmental sanitation law 2000, 3rd schedule and section 28 of cap E5 will be applied.

Details later…