The Lagos State Government says the property it recently demolished at Oworonshoki was illegal and posed significant risks to the occupants.

The state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, said this at a news conference at Alausa, Ikeja, on Wednesday.

The Lagos State Government says the property it recently demolished at Oworonshoki was illegal and posed significant risks to the occupants.

The state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, said this at a news conference at Alausa, Ikeja, on Wednesday.

According to him, when a building is marked as distressed, it means it is no longer suitable for habitation.

“It is a threat to life.”

He recalled an incident at Ebute Meta area of Lagos, where a distressed building collapsed and killed an 83-year-old man.

The commissioner outlined categories of structures that can be demolished in Lagos State to include structures under high-tension lines, those on gas lines, buildings on drainage paths/setbacks, and those without approval.

He added that building on an informal or not-ready-to-use land owned by the state government would attract demolition.

“In the case of Iyano Oworo, they don’t even have approval; hence the demolition.

On possible compensation, Olumide said it would be wrong to use taxpayers’ money to compensate illegal occupants.

“Should the government use tax payers’ hard-earned money to pay somebody for an illegal structure? Is that fair? No,” he said.

The commissioner advised members of the public to be vigilant when purchasing land to avoid building on unapproved land.

“Some of them claim to be local landowners, the so-called ‘omo onile’ and say that their forefathers owned the place, and they start selling the land, which is illegal,” he said.

Olumide said there was the need to follow due process in land acquisition

He urged prospective buyers to verify the legitimacy of land titles and comply with planning regulations before buying to avoid losing their investments. (VANGUARD)