buildings and shops on the right of way of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, pipeline in Abule Egba area o Lagos, Southwest Nigeria have been demolished.
Thousands of Lagosians have begun to lick their wounds as their properties were demolished by the NNPC demolition squad in a bid to recover the right of way of its pipeline.
Residents on the NNPC pipeline were served one day notice to vacate their properties as their buildings would be demolished within 24 hours and the demolition team made good their threat as they stormed Awori area in Abule Egba on Thursday morning to demolish marked properties.
The LASU campus on New Oko-Oba and sitting on NNPC pipeline right of way and several other buildings in the area were earlier destroyed by the federal government, while the demolition squad moved to Abule Egba yesterday.
Over 100 buildings and shops on NNPC pipeline have so far been demolished and properties worth millions of naira lost, while the demolition continued this morning towards Ile Epo area on the pipeline right of way.
Two caterpillars were seen demolishing properties on the right of way of the pipeline while soldiers with guns kept watch to ensure that no one disturbed the officials from carrying out their assignment.
Thousands of onlookers, landlords and shop owners watched helplessly as their properties were brought down.
Victims berated the Federal Government for demolishing their properties without giving them adequate notice.
Olaiya Sanni, a car electrician in the area had part of his shop demolished and lamented the loss, saying the demolition would affect his business adversely.
“They only came here on Tuesday to mark our houses and promised to come back. They came back the following day and started demolishing our properties. I am not happy. Cars cannot enter our shop again,” he said.
Mrs Funmilayo Adeneye decried the demolition of her shop, which she had occupied for 20 years, saying she did not know what to do now.
Mr. Bayo Okunnuga said seven shops in his father’s house were demolished, saying government ought to have given them enough time before taking action, adding that somebody just rented one of the shops last week.
A panel beater, Mr. Musbau Ayeyeni lost his shop to the demolition exercise. He decried the act, saying that he would have to go back home first to think of what to do.
He said he opened the shop in 1985.
