Anger as Lagos govt demolishes ‘over 19 buildings’ at Trade Fair Plaza

Anger and frustration swept through the popular Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, on Thursday as bulldozers from the Lagos State Government demolished more than 19 buildings at the New Mandela Plaza under heavy security.

The exercise, carried out by a combined team of the Lagos State Task Force, Rapid Response Squad, tactical units, and officials from physical planning agencies, left traders and shop owners devastated, with many alleging they were not given prior notice before their properties were reduced to rubble.

At the scene, stern-looking officers restricted access to the premises and chased away traders who attempted to record the demolition. Distraught owners and sales representatives watched helplessly as goods locked inside shops were destroyed along with the buildings.

“We don’t even know the reason for the demolition. That’s why you see people moving up and down, asking questions,” one trader lamented. Another, visibly shaken, added: “If government doesn’t want companies or development here, they should just come out and say it. People have invested their life savings here.”

A plaza owner, who arrived to find his property being pulled down, shouted in disbelief: “No notice was served before the bulldozers moved in.”

But the Lagos State Government defended the operation, insisting the targeted structures were illegal and unsafe.

Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Jubril Gawat, confirmed in a post on X that the exercise was aimed at “illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective structures, and buildings erected on road setbacks and drainages.”

He said government could no longer fold its arms while such violations blocked critical infrastructure and endangered lives.

The operation was jointly carried out by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, with members of the Lagos State House of Assembly also present.