The Lagos State Government on Saturday demolished a four-storey building of 20 flats at No. 34, Adeyemi St. Mushin, while two others near it were marked for demolition.
The demolition, which was carried out by the Lagos State Building and Control Agency, started at 8.00a.m., during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
Two other buildings on the street –numbers 33 and 32 –have also been marked for demolition.
The leader of the demolition team, who did not want his name published, said that the building was demolished because it was no longer safe to be inhabited.
According to him, the structure had obvious cracks, and had become dilapidated, which warranted the government’s action.
He said that the Lagos State government had given the landlords of the affected buildings notices three months ago to direct their tenants to vacate the properties.
The official, however, said that houses 32 and 33, which had also been marked, would not be demolished for sometime.
He said that that the agency would carry out integrity tests on the marked properties to determine their level of damage before a decision would be taken on them.
Some of the residents of the area said that the demolished building had become a threat to its occupants and other residents of nearby buildings because of its level of dilapidation.
Mrs Rakiyat Aliyu of No. 12, Adeyemi St., advised the government to demolish all dilapidated structures in the area and instruct the owners to build more befitting ones.
However, Mr Thomas Dauda, a resident of the demolished building, said that he rented the property just three months ago.
“I just rented the place three months ago with the sum of N800,000 and the caretaker promised to repair my apartment before the end of August.
“I was shocked after payment when some of the tenants told me that the building had been marked for demolition and they have been asked to pack out.
“The matter is in court because the caretaker told me he had given the landlord my money,
“I just packed my belongings last night at 10.00 p.m. when it was obvious that the state government was coming to demolish the place,’’ he said.
