Lagos Government To Demolish 17 Buildings At Alaba International Market [Photos]

Lagos State Government says it will demolish 17 “distressed” buildings used for commercial purposes at the Alaba International Market in Ojo Local Government Area of the state.

Gbolahan Oki, the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), made this announcement during a recent assessment visit to the market.

According to him, the purpose of the visit on Friday was to issue final warnings to the occupants of the marked buildings in preparation for the demolition.

Oki revealed that some of the buildings had been served with quit notices as far back as 2016. He also expressed concern that the occupants often harassed officials of the agency whenever they attempted to carry out their duties.

“These buildings marked within this Alaba international market would have been included in the list of 349 distressed buildings earlier published in different national newspapers this year,” he was quoted in a statement by Adetayo Akitoye-Asagba, the agency’s assistant director of public affairs.

“But because the occupants were always harassing our officers, it was impossible to capture the details of the structures and include them in the publication.

“What we have done now is a joint exercise carried out by both the Lagos Task Force officers and the demolition gang of Lagos State Building Control Agency. The buildings will be demolished.

“We know that this area is a commercial centre and one of the busiest markets in Lagos state.

“We cannot fold our arms and allow irregularities to continue to thrive in the market where lives of innocent persons would be put at risk because of the failure of a few sets of individuals who have refused to do the needful.”

In March, the Lagos state government published a list indicating the locations of 349 distressed buildings across the state.

See the photos below:

KanyiDaily recalls that Lagos House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa had announced his intention to pass new laws regarding property and business ownership in the state.