The Lagos State Government has demolished 17 houses illegally constructed on the Right of Way (RoW) of the Ikota River alignment in the Lekki area, vowing to prosecute developers responsible for the encroachment.
The State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, led an enforcement team—accompanied by journalists—to the site on Saturday. Wahab said the structures were part of ongoing illegal reclamation projects that obstructed natural drainage channels, worsening flooding in the area.
He revealed that the ministry had received multiple reports months earlier about attempts to reclaim portions of the river’s RoW for private development. “We stopped them initially, but we were later alerted that the encroachment had resumed aggressively, and plots were being sold to unsuspecting buyers,” Wahab said.
According to him, evidence gathered at the site showed several ongoing sand-filling operations and partially built houses on the river’s natural path. He stressed that the demolition formed part of a larger effort to restore flood-prone zones across Lagos and that those found culpable would face prosecution.
Wahab condemned the illegal activities, warning that “nature always fights back against human negligence.” He added that while Lagos, being a coastal city surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and numerous rivers, cannot entirely prevent flooding, the government continues to invest in resilient infrastructure to mitigate its effects.
He specifically mentioned Property No. 156 as a major obstruction to the coastal road alignment, noting that it blocked the natural flow of the Ikota channel. “Such structures must give way for proper stormwater discharge into the Lagos Lagoon,” he stated.
The commissioner explained that demolition was not the government’s first option, but some developers had ignored multiple warnings and failed to provide approved stormwater discharge plans. “It is irresponsible for private individuals to create environmental problems and expect the government to bear the cost,” he added.
During an inspection of the Lekki–Epe corridor, Wahab lamented the destruction of wetlands that serve as natural buffers during heavy rainfall. Drone surveillance, he said, had uncovered widespread encroachment where coconut trees originally planted to stabilise the soil were cut down for illegal developments.
He noted that violators had been issued enforcement notices on September 26, ahead of planned transport infrastructure projects in the area.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Transport, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, disclosed that the state’s Green Line Rail Project, which will run from Marina to Epe, is set to commence in December 2025 after consultations and feasibility studies.
Osiyemi added that some car dealers who were temporarily permitted to use power line spaces had violated the terms by erecting permanent structures on wetlands. “As a state, we must enforce compliance to protect the environment while developing modern transport infrastructure,” he said.
The inspection team also visited Chevron Gate off Orchid Road, Partibon Homes, Oral Extension Phase 2, and Park View in Ikoyi, where multiple environmental infractions were discovered.
