Agency begins demolition of illegal structures in Jos

 Mr Mathaias Hata, the General Manager, Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB), on Tuesday said that the board had embarked on and started the demolition of illegal structures within the Jos metropolis.

Hata, who made this known while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos, said that the exercise would last for two days, vowing that none of the illegal structures earmarked for demolition would be spared.

 He said that most of the illegal structures were erected along waterways or under high-tension electric poles, while some of the buildings were constructed without obtaining the requisite approval papers from the board.

 He said that various notices had been served on the owners of these properties, while they were also given enough time to sort things out by obtaining the requisite forms from the board and paying all necessary charges.

 “Some of these people can be very stubborn and arrogant to the extent that when officers are sent to mark illegal structures, they fight them and even try to erase the marks from the buildings,” he said.

 Hata said that after the demolition, officers of the agency would still be on standby so as to ensure that owners of these properties did not come back to reconstruct the structures.

 He said that the board had put in place appropriate measures to ensure full compliance.

 Hata, urged those affected to come to the board for the necessary documentation of their properties so as to avoid further embarrassment, saying that the board would not refrain from pulling down any illegal structure.