The Lagos State Government has demolished 138 shanties along the canal bank in Ajao Estate, where occupants paid between N60,000 and N100,000 annually, as part of efforts to address environmental infractions and illegal encampments.
The operation, conducted on Thursday by the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as KAI, aimed to restore order and reclaim public spaces in the area.
The announcement was made by Tokunbo Wahab, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, through a statement shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday.
“In continuation of concerted measures to reduce the scourge of environmental infractions and illegal encampment in public spaces, the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI on Thursday demolished 138 shanties around the canal bank in Ajao Estate Canal where illegal occupants pays between N60,000 to N100,000 rent,” the statement read.
Accompanying the commissioner’s post was a video showing officials using mallets and other tools to demolish the makeshift wooden structures.
In the video, the structures being demolished were located around Baale Shekoni Street and Qudus Folawiyo Crescent in Lagos, within the Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area.
The illegal structures violated environmental and urban planning regulations while posing significant risks to public health and safety.
The Lagos State Government has intensified efforts to clear shanties and illegal structures across the state as part of its broader strategy to tackle environmental infractions, illegal encampments, and promote urban regeneration.
To prevent the reoccupation of cleared areas of public spaces, Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced plans to collaborate with the private sector to repurpose these spaces into public-use facilities, ensuring long-term solutions and improved urban management.