The Lagos State government has commenced the evacuation of squatters beneath the Ijora Causeway Bridge and the Lagos Blue Rail Line following the lapse of a five-day eviction notice.
Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made this disclosure in a statement on Saturday.
According to Wahab, a Special Intervention Squad led ACP Bayo Sulaiman supervised the removal of shanties on the setbacks and rights of way of the blue rail line under the Ijora Causeway Bridge.
He said:
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“Following the expiration of a 5-day quit notice issued to squatters under the Ijora Causeway Bridge by the Lagos State government last Sunday, the Enforcement Team of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources @LasgMOE and Special Intervention Squad on the Restoration of the Lagos Badagry Rail Corridor Clean-Up led ACP Bayo Sulaiman begin enforcement by dislodging the illegal squatters and clearing up the area as directed by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.”
Backstory
Earlier, the Lagos State Government had initially issued a five-day ultimatum to squatters beneath the Ijora Causeway Bridge and the Lagos Blue Rail Line overpass to vacate their shanties or face demolition for posing a hazard to the Lagos Blue Line corridor.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Kunle Adeshina.
Adeshina said a 24-hour notice had also been issued to everyone selling petroleum products beneath the Ijora Bridge, warning them to relocate their trucks and containers or face confiscation.
He restated that until the three-week prohibition on sales and distribution of Styrofoam items expires, no enforcement action would be taken against the the makers and users.
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“The Lagos State Government on Sunday gave five days quit notice to different squatters under the Ijora Causeway Bridge and Lagos Blue rail Line overhead bridge in Ijora to remove all their shanties for constituting a danger to the Lagos Blue Line corridor or risk demolition and removal.
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“The quit notice was given by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, when he led a high-powered team that included the Chairman, Special Intervention Squad on the Restoration of the Lagos Badagry Rail Corridor Clean-Up, ACP BAYO Sulaima, and the Special Adviser on the Environment, Kunle Rotimi-Akodu, on an inspection of the Ijora and the under bridge.
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“He also gave a 24-hour quit notice to all those selling petroleum products under the Ijora Bridge to move all their trucks and containers or risk confiscation, adding that they posed enormous dangers to the infrastructure and human presence in the area,” he stated.