Demolish Defective Structures Or Forfeit Them, Lagos Govt Warns Landlords

The Lagos State Government, has , warned property owners in the state to demolish properties that have been certified defective or run the risk of forfeiting it to the government.

This warning was contained in a statement shared on the verified Twitter handle of the Lagos government.

In the statement, the State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye called for the cooperation of members of the public in reporting locations of distressed structures to the government.

According to him, “In some instances where the owners and occupiers have been duly served with statutory notices and evacuated, people secretly return to re-occupy the buildings despite the sealing of the structures by the Lagos State Building Control Agency ”.

Ogunleye pointed out that the Ministry had identified 149 distressed and defective buildings in different parts of the state, demolishing 40 in the first phase while 38 others were slated for the second phase prior to the March 13 collapse of a three-storey building at Ita-Faji.

The Commissioner said LASBCA would step up the ongoing removal of the affected buildings until it covers all parts of the State, warning that Section 74 of the Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law on forfeiture would be invoked against any owner or developer whose negligence leads to building collapse.

A three-storey building housing a primary school collapsed at Ita Faji area of Lagos Island.