Lagos commences demolition of dilapidated buildings in Alaba International Market

The Lagos State Government has initiated the demolition process for 17 buildings in Alaba International Market. According to witnesses, the demolition began early on Sunday morning, discreetly under the cover of darkness.

The furniture section of the market was most affected.

An anonymous source shared with Nairametrics that a demolition notice was issued just two days before the exercise. The demolition team, accompanied by a significant number of law enforcement officers, commenced the operation at 6 a.m. on Sunday, anticipating minimal resistance as shop owners would likely be at home during that time.

The source, who is a union officer, stated that most shop owners had already removed their goods from the premises before the demolition. On Sunday, between 10 and 15 buildings were demolished, while a total of 17 structures have been earmarked for demolition, the source said.

During an assessment visit to the market on Friday, Gbolahan Oki, the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), announced the planned demolition. This information was relayed in a statement by the agency’s spokesperson, Adetayo Akitoye-Asagba.

Oki revealed that the affected buildings had been marked for demolition multiple times since 2016, but the occupants disregarded the notices. His visit aimed to issue final warnings and evacuation notices to the occupants of the structures slated for demolition.

According to LASBCA, the physically distressed buildings bear markings and vacation notices dating back to 2016, 2020, 2022, and several others issued in 2023.

“Oki, who expressed concern over the previous instances of harassment faced by agency officials, stated that a seven-year notification period was more than enough for the occupants to vacate the marked buildings and comply with the notices issued by LASBCA and other government agencies.”

Oki further noted that instead of following the proper procedure of demolishing the structures and replacing them with new buildings, the occupants continued to occupy them at their own risk.

The buildings within Alaba International Market, which were supposed to be included in the list of 349 distressed buildings published earlier this year in national newspapers, were not included due to the ongoing harassment faced by officials.

However, in a joint operation involving the Lagos Task Force officers and the demolition team of LASBCA, these buildings will now be demolished.

Oki emphasized that the government values the lives of all residents in the state, regardless of their location. He stressed that a Lagosian’s life is of utmost importance and cannot be compromised for financial gain or profit.

Considering the potential danger these distressed buildings pose to adjacent structures and the lives of the market’s business community, the demolition within Alaba International Market has become imperative and timely.