Lagos demolishes illegal structures under high-tension lines

Lagos State Government has commenced the controlled demolition of shanties and other unauthorised structures located beneath high-tension electricity lines in Ikola, Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area.

The intervention followed a recent communal clash in the area that reportedly claimed the lives of four adult men and left several others injured.

The exercise is being coordinated by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, in collaboration with the Lagos State Police Command and the Rapid Response Squad, RRS.

LASEMA said the operation became necessary because the affected structures were situated within the statutory right-of-way of high-voltage transmission lines, exposing occupants and traders to significant safety hazards.

In a statement issued on Saturday, LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the recent confrontation between members of the Hausa and Yoruba communities had brought renewed attention to security and environmental concerns in the Ikola area.

He said the incident also exposed the dangers posed by the concentration of informal settlements directly underneath the electricity infrastructure.

According to him, the settlements contravene established national and international safety standards and expose residents to potential electrocution, fires and structural failures.

Following the violence, government agencies were deployed to the community as part of efforts to restore order and safeguard lives and property.

Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA, with the support of the police and RRS, subsequently launched a coordinated operation after residents in the affected areas were given adequate notice and time to vacate the structures and retrieve their belongings.

“The operation was preceded by adequate notice to affected residents. Communities were granted ample time to safely evacuate and recover personal belongings before the commencement of any demolition activity,” he said.

He explained that the approach was consistent with the state government’s commitment to enforcing planning and safety regulations while taking into account the welfare of residents affected by enforcement operations.

LASEMA has deployed heavy-duty recovery equipment to dismantle and remove structures occupying the designated power-line corridor.

The agency said all personnel participating in the operation were safe and that the situation remained calm and under control.

The permanent secretary also rejected claims that the intervention was aimed at any particular ethnic group, stressing that the exercise was strictly based on safety concerns.

“This intervention is therefore not targeted at any ethnic group or community, but at a dangerous structural reality that threatens everyone living in its path,” he said.

While recognising the need for residents to secure accommodation and earn livelihoods, Oke-Osanyintolu said such considerations must be balanced against the government’s responsibility to prevent avoidable deaths and disasters.

He maintained that development could not be considered sustainable if it placed people in situations where their lives were exposed to preventable risks.