The Lagos State Government has demolished no fewer than 17 houses illegally built on the Right of Way (RoW) of the Ikota River alignment in the Lekki area, following reports of renewed encroachment and unlawful wetland reclamation.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, led the enforcement and monitoring team — accompanied by journalists — to the site on Saturday. He warned residents against actions that endanger the environment and obstruct natural water channels, stressing that such negligence would always attract consequences.
Wahab disclosed that the ministry had received complaints months earlier about illegal reclamation activities intended to narrow the river’s natural course. The offenders, he said, were initially stopped, but the illegal operations resumed recently with aggressive sand-filling and attempts to sell reclaimed land to unsuspecting buyers.
“We stopped them then, but we were alerted again that the encroachment had resumed aggressively, with attempts to sell to unsuspecting buyers,” Wahab said. “Those responsible will be identified and prosecuted in accordance with the law.”
Recovered evidence from the site revealed several ongoing reclamation works and partially completed structures built directly on the river channel. Wahab condemned these acts, warning that nature always retaliates against human negligence and unlawful reclamation.
He noted that while Lagos, being a coastal state bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, lagoons, and rivers, cannot completely prevent flooding, the government continues to invest in resilient infrastructure to mitigate its effects. “What we can do is reduce its impact through resilient infrastructure, which Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has consistently provided and maintained,” he said.
The commissioner cited property number 156 as a major obstruction to the coastal road alignment, saying it had blocked the natural flow of the Ikota channel and would be cleared to allow free discharge of stormwater into the Lagos Lagoon.
Wahab added that demolition was not always the first resort, explaining that the state often advised developers to produce practical stormwater discharge designs at their own expense. However, many ignored repeated warnings and violated environmental regulations. “It is irresponsible for government to fix problems created by private developers who profit from disregarding environmental laws,” he said.
During a joint inspection tour of the Lekki–Epe corridor, Wahab decried massive encroachment on wetlands originally designed to retain excess rainwater. Drone surveillance, he said, exposed extensive damage to the wetland corridor, including the destruction of coconut trees planted to stabilise the soil.
He explained that demolition and clearance notices were served on September 26, ahead of planned transport infrastructure works along the same corridor. The enforcement, he added, also aligns with the Ministry of Transport’s Green Line Rail Project, designed to run from Marina to Epe.
The Commissioner for Transport, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, confirmed that the Green Line project is scheduled to begin in December 2025 after stakeholder consultations and feasibility studies. He revealed that some car dealers given temporary permits to operate along power line spaces had violated the terms by building permanent structures on wetlands.
“As a state, we must enforce compliance and protect the environment while advancing our transport development agenda,” Osiyemi said, adding that the rail project, expected to span about three years, forms part of Lagos’ integrated transport network aimed at easing urban mobility.
The inspection team also visited Chevron Gate off Orchid Road, Partibon Homes, Oral Extension Phase 2, and Park View in Ikoyi, where several environmental violations were discovered. Wahab reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enforcing environmental laws, protecting waterways, and preventing further encroachment on vital floodplains across the state.
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