Oyo taskforce demolishes shanties on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, arrests two

The Oyo State Task Force on Clearance of Shanties carried out an operation on Monday as it demolished shanties erected along its axis on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The Task Force also arrested two women, Olaitan Bamidele and Tawa Kazeem, who were found in two of the demolished structures.

The Task Force, led by the Executive Assistant on Security, CP Sunday Odukoya (rtd), was joined by officials from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, including its Director, Mrs. Bukola Areo, as well as personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Amotekun Corps, Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA), and Operation Burst.

Explaining the reason behind the operation, CP Odukoya, who was represented by DCP Francis Ojomo (rtd), said that crime rate, coupled with intelligence reports alleging that owners of shanties were colluding with criminals, made the state government to move towards ending all forms of illegal trading in and around the Ibadan metropolis.

He said the taskforce had gone out several times to instruct those concerned to remove their structures and vacate the places they were occupying illegally.

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“But unfortunately, they turned deaf ears, and because of that, we kick-started the demolition and clearance operation, which began today, Monday, August 4,” DCP Ojomo stated.

He disclosed that the operation would continue until the entire state is cleared of all illegal structures and trading activities, pointing out that the issue had security implications for Oyo residents, especially commuters.

He said: “We are going to continue the enforcement and make sure that the state is absolutely safe at all times.”

Ojomo noted that if shanties and other illegal structures not approved by the government are allowed, criminals could use such spaces for crimes, adding: “We are making efforts to make sure the state is safe for all by maintaining sanity. That is the mandate we were given, and we will execute it.”

A man, who claimed to be a brother to the owner of a container in which goods were being sold—and which was among the structures to be brought down—said his sister got approval to occupy the setback being used.

However, he had yet to provide the payment receipt for the year as of the time of filing this report.

When reminded that the occupant had been notified several times to vacate the space, the man replied that he only heard about it once and that his sister had promised to shift the container backward, which she had yet to do.

The two women arrested during the demolition exercise were immediately arraigned on a one-count charge in a mobile court sitting at the State Secretariat, presided over by the Chairman of the Environmental Tribunal, Wasiu Raheem Esq.

In a suit with charge number NE/NR/106/4/8/2025 between the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources versus Olaitan Bamidele and Tawa Kazeem, the count read: “That you both defendants, on or before the 4th day of August, 2025, at 10 a.m., at Ibadan, Ibadan Magisterial District, engaged in the illegal erection of structures (shanties) at the roadside and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section XIV of the Oyo State Waste Management Authority Law 2004.”

When the charge was read to them, they pleaded guilty.

The Tribunal Chairman fined each of the women N50,000 or one month imprisonment in lieu of the fine.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE