Palpable wailings and anguish have gripped the Okun Ajah Community in Lagos State as officials of the Federal Ministry of Works demolished multi-billion naira properties in the area to make way for the Lagos-Calabar Expressway.
The ministry officials were accompanied by heavily armed soldiers and policemen, who were mobilised to the community. Some residents have already instituted a suit challenging the diversion of the road through their area.
The demolition exercise took place just 24 hours after the Okun Ajah Community Development Association accused ministry officials of corruption and favouritism in an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the residents, the ministry officials diverted the road from the 2006 Gazetted Coastal Road Alignment to favor a particular section. They also accused the ministry of not providing any notice or documentation before the Saturday morning demolition.
The chairman of the Okun Ajah Development Association, Noibi Otolowo, described the demolition as “pure vendetta and wickedness.” He accused the Minister of Works of deliberately trying to punish the community for exposing the ministry’s actions.
“They brought their caterpillars here because we reported them to the president. The road construction has not even gotten to Lafoaji, and suddenly they jumped to Okun Ajah and began to demolish houses here. When they started, they were speaking with those who built on the Coastal Road alignment and promised to pay them compensation. All of a sudden, they said they wanted to divert the road. They didn’t give us any notification; they have not done any documentation. They are just demolishing properties here,” Otolowo said.
He added, “The minister is also aware that there are cases over the diversion of the road in court. Why did they hurriedly come here now to be demolishing properties? This is wickedness.”
He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to “urgently investigate the construction of the Lagos-Calabar road in Okun Ajah.”
Another resident, Yusuf Odunuga, condemned the invasion of the community, especially since the road construction was not close to their area.
He stated, “The minister brought the equipment here to demolish our properties because we reported his ministry to the president. They diverted the road to our properties because some people disregarded the law and built on our road. Nobody from the ministry has told us anything; they are just demolishing our houses to favor those who built on the road.”
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