By Felix Kuyinu
No fewer than 23 persons have been arrested during a raiding exercise at Dolphins Under Bridge in Ikoyi, where some miscreants have tuned to an abode.
Confirming that the arrests were made by officers of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, LAGESC, on Tuesday, Lagos State’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on Wednesday stated that the government discovered 86 partitioned rooms, sized 10×10 and 12×10, at the busted area.
Wahab stated that investigations reveal that the arrestees were said to be paying the sum of N250,000 per annum for the makeshift apartment.
The Commisioner also disclosed that there was a massive clear out of the shanties by the enforcement team of Lagos State’s Ministry of Environment and Water Resources who successfully removed all structures, including a container utilised for various illegal activities, from beneath of the bridge.
Also criticizing the occurrence, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Environment, Kunle Akodu further confirmed the eviction of the squatters saying, “Squatters dwelling under the bridge leading from inward Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi were evicted today Tuesday, 30th of April, 2024 by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps.
“These people created their illegal settlement under the bridge, thereby exposing the critical infrastructure to impending destruction. 23 persons have so far been arrested and the Ministry of Environment alongside KAI will continue to monitor the place. The law will take its course.
“Continuation of the removal of abode under Dolphin bridge saw 11 more persons arrested. It is important to note that wood materials were used to construct the shelters, some occupants used gas cylinders, and some had stored fuel for their generators, these are recipes for disaster,” he added.
