The Lagos State government on Thursday demolished at least 19 buildings at the New Mandela Plaza within the popular Trade Fair Complex.
The operation was executed under heavy security presence as state officials moved in to supervise the exercise.
Convoys of trucks from the Lagos State Task Force, the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), and other tactical teams secured the area.
Armed and stern-looking officers completely restricted access to the premises and immediately dispersed traders who attempted to record the ongoing demolition.
So far, several targeted structures within the plaza had already been reduced to rubble.
The exercise has since sparked outrage among the affected shop owners, many of whom vehemently claim they received no prior notice of the demolition.
A trader said: “We don’t even know the reason for the demolition. That’s why you see people moving up and down, asking questions.”
A visibly agitated plaza owner, who arrived as his shop was being pulled down, shouted from his car that no notice was served before the bulldozers moved in.
Several sales representatives also lamented that their bosses’ goods, still locked inside shops, were destroyed along with the buildings.
Distraught traders confirmed that no fewer than 19 buildings, each valued at over N150 million, were affected.
One trader fumed: “If government doesn’t want companies or development here, they should just come out and say it. People have invested their life savings here. Over 19 buildings are in that plaza.”
Another trader, Chief Magnus Ike, Chief Executive Officer, Magnus Merchandise, watched as his multi-billion-Naira property stood no chance against the bulldozers.
He insisted he had federal approval for the structure: “Honestly, I have not been served any notice from the Lagos State Government whatsoever. The only notices we get here are from the Federal Government, and we comply. This building was inspected.
” Even the Ministry of Environment has been here. If there is any problem, the proper thing is to notify us. You don’t just let people borrow bank money, take loans, and then crush their investment overnight.”
Dismissing claim that his property sat on a canal, he gestured around: “Look for yourself, there is no canal here. Whatever their reason is, due process demands notice. None was given.”
Yet, standing defiantly amid the ruins, said: “Demolition or not, I will continue to build. Lagos is for all of us, we go nowhere.”
His younger brother, Mr. Magnus Ikenna, was equally distraught, saying: “Even as of Wednesday, there was no sign of demolition. This morning, they just moved in with bulldozers and started tear-gassing everybody.
“They said we don’t have state approval, but since 2000 we’ve always dealt with federal government here. How can the rules suddenly change overnight?”
Pointing to the rubble, he added: “This is what somebody used years to build. Many of us borrowed from banks. Now look, how do we repay? Government should come to our aid before people start dying of heart attack.”
Amid the traders’ outrage, the Lagos State Government stood firm. Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Jubril Gawat, confirmed the exercise in a post on X seen by Persecondnews.
According to him, the demolition targeted “illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective structures, and buildings erected on road setbacks and drainages.
“The Lagos State Government can no longer fold its arms while unapproved developments block critical infrastructure and endanger lives,” he said.
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 security operatives on ground for backup.
The government later ordered the discontinuation of the demolition while
the leadership of the market met with the officials with another meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 30.
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