Traders at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex in the Ojo area of the state have been left counting their losses after bulldozers from the Lagos State Government, on Thursday, pulled down more than 19 buildings.

This exercise was carried out by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, and the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, who were accompanied by armed security operatives.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Oluyinka Olumide, had said that the state’s action was backed by the Supreme Court judgment of 2003 and the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law 2019 (as amended), which empowers the government to regulate and enforce planning laws.

Olumide maintained that the Trade Fair Complex’s location on federal land does not exempt developers from obtaining planning permits from the Lagos State Government or complying with its physical planning regulations.

However, during a visit to the location on Saturday, the affected traders told PUNCH Metro that notices were not issued before their plazas were reduced to rubble.

An eyewitness who identified himself simply as Ikenna told PUNCH Metro that the demolition was sudden and without explanation.

Ikenna, who is also a personal assistant to one of the owners of the affected buildings, said the demolition started at about 8 am with armed security operatives fully on the ground to guard the officials.

He said, “Nothing like a notice to vacate the building was issued to us. There was no court notice either, no sealed mark, nothing. They just came on Thursday and started demolition without any explanation. We only saw policemen around 7:30 to 8 a.m., and before we knew it, they began pulling down buildings, while we all were ordered to get out.”

A trader who identified himself simply as Stephen said one of the demolished structures, which belonged to his boss, had been in existence for five years with federal approval.

He said, “The state government is now saying we didn’t get approval from them. But this is federal land, and we got clearance from the Federal Government. If the state government says we have no approval to build, why wasn’t there a notice? No notice was given. No explanation was also given; we were just ordered to get out, and the demolition began.”

While giving further clarity on the development, an engineer supervising one of the collapsed buildings, who gave his name as Samuel, described the demolition as poorly executed.

He also alleged that the officials marked the building for demolition the same morning the exercise was carried out.

“We were surprised at the demolition notices the same morning. As they were writing LASBCA sealed notices on the walls, they were also demolishing at the same time.. At least some days’ or months’ notice should have been given for people to prepare. Millions have gone into these buildings. One was even under construction, about to be decked before it was levelled,” he lamented.

Another distraught trader did not want his name in print, pointing at damaged structures around him.

He lamented that the officials prevented him and his colleagues from moving their goods, adding that goods worth millions of naira were destroyed in the process.

“You can see for yourself. The caterpillar demolished our shops with goods still inside. This is a shop stocked with engines, as you can see; the oil spilt from the demolished shop. In some others, furniture and electrical items were still inside. That’s not how things should be done,” he added.

“The security operatives who came with them were also violent as they did not allow us to ask for more time from the officials when the demolition started,” another trader who spoke in passing claimed.

Others who were approached for reaction declined to comment, while they looked confused and worried at the development.

The affected plazas were a few kilometres’ walk from the New Mandilas Trade Centre. The tall storey buildings that housed several business outlets were seen turned to rubble.

It was observed that the demolition started from a complex beside Lotus Bank, a three-minute walk from the Trade Fair roundabout. Some of the businesses affected included High Time Logistics, Bestolar Plaza, Anuchem Luxury Furniture & Interiors, and several other structures at the Sea Breeze complex.

While some traders hurriedly packed salvaged items from their half-destroyed stalls, the unlucky ones stood in despair as they stared at the ruins.

Scavengers and some labourers were also seen having a field day at the location as they picked through debris with their sacks and wheelbarrows filled with broken materials.

The demolition again brought to the fore the long-running dispute over who controls the expansive Trade Fair Complex between the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government.

Occupants insist that their approvals came from the Federal Housing Authority and the Trade Fair Authority, which administers the land. The state government, however, insists that no building in Lagos can stand without its approval, irrespective of federal ownership.

For many traders, the consequence of this jurisdictional conflict has been devastating. Businesses that took years and millions to build were lost in a matter of hours.

When contacted on Sunday, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, insisted that the demolition was backed by due process from the government and that the affected developers and owners of buildings ignored repeated warnings.

Omotoso also dismissed the claims that no prior notice was given to the occupants of the buildings.

He explained that although the Federal Government could allocate space within the trade fair complex, it does not have the authority to grant building permits.

He said, “When something is illegal, it is illegal. The Trade Fair belongs to the Federal Government, yes, but under the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act of 1992, only the state government has the power to approve building plans. The Supreme Court judgment in Attorney General of Lagos State vs Attorney General of the Federation reinforced the principle that approval of building papers is vested in the states and not the Federal Government.

“The state had granted a general amnesty last year to allow property owners without proper documentation to regularize their approvals, with the deadline extended four or five times. While many traders complied, those whose buildings were demolished failed to take advantage.”

He also alleged that officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency who visited the Trade Fair last year were attacked by traders, forcing the police to intervene. According to him, the government later invited the affected parties for dialogue, but they refused to come.

“The government had no choice but to move in there. If we continue like this, one day we will find buildings on the Third Mainland Bridge,” he continued. (The PUNCH)