The gates of the Banana Island situated in the Ikoyi Area of Lagos State was on Tuesday shut for entry and exit.

This shutdown has caused gridlock on the Lekki-Ajah axis and some other parts of Ikoyi.

There are speculations that the shutdown was due to the proposed demolition of the Banana Club House.

In a viral video on Tuesday, vehicles in their long queues were seen stranded in the estate, with some men manning the gate to the estate.

As of the time of filing this report, there were contradictory claims on the government agencies responsible for the development.

While some attributed it to agencies of the Federal Government, some others said agencies of the state government were responsible.

Inquiring about the blockage, our correspondent, after citing a viral broadcast message that the estate gates had been locked from residents, reached out to the Lagos State Building Control Agency, which denied being in the area.

The broadcast message which circulated on Tuesday read, “Lagos State Govt agency has just shut down Banana Island — disallowing residents and visitors from entering or leaving.”

Another claim corroborating the message on X by a user identified as #Nothingispromised said, “We love suffering in this country. So because government officials dey Banana Island, no car fit go in or out of the estate until they are gone? They have successfully created another crazy traffic that will affect Lekki and part of Ikoyi.”

Reacting, the spokesperson for LABSCA, Adu Ademuyiwa, noted that the claim that their officials are on the ground disrupting activities in the area is unfounded.

He said, “It is not true. Our men are not there. And we have not stopped any residents or visitors from entering their estate on Banana Island. When the time for the demolition of the illegal buildings in the area would be done, we will communicate it appropriately to the public.”

The PUNCH recently reports that the decision to demolish illegal structures on Banana Island would be followed by the government’s commitment to enforcing urban planning laws and ensuring public safety.

According to the agency’s General Manager, Gbolahan Oki, LASBCA has carried out similar actions in other parts of the state, including Abule Egba, Iya Niba, and Iyana Isheri, where illegal buildings under high-tension lines were removed.

The General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, Gbolahan Oki, made this known at a stakeholders’ meeting on Banana Island recently.

He stated that structures found violating building codes, including those under high-tension power lines and within restricted shoreline areas, would be identified and subsequently demolished. (The PUNCH, but headline rejigged)