Community appeals to LASG to halt demolition order of over 90 properties
The Wasimi Community Development Association of Mile 12 in Ikosi–Isheri Local Council Development Area of Lagos State has appealed to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to rescind a demolition order over 90 properties in the community.
In a statement titled ‘Demolition of buildings: Wasimi CDA wants Sanwo-Olu to rescind order’, the community stated that the demolition was to be carried out by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and the Lagos State Building Control Agency.
According to them, there could have been misleading information which led to approving the action together with the entire Maidan, Mile-12 community.
They also counter the allegation that the area was filled with defective structures, lack of building plan approval and a den for criminals and hoodlums, which made the governor to sign the demolition order.
It disclosed that the community was populated predominantly by civil servants and government retirees who bought land validly and have been law abiding for more than 50 years.
The Chairman of the CDA, Kingsley Afinjuomo, hinted that men of the state ministry came to the area on 15 March 2018 and on 24 July 2020 respectively, and pasted demolition notices on properties within the community, citing lack of evidence of planning permit from the state government and the nullification of the title authority upon which the buildings were erected.
Afinjuomo declared that no single property owner has had their title to land challenged by anybody in court since they bought the lands.
He disclosed further that the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development had in 2018 called on property owners without building plan permits to commence immediately the process of obtaining same and informed those with building plan permits that they had nothing to fear.
The chairman lamented that those who adhered to the instruction of MPP&UD in 2018, as regards the building plan permit processing, were yet to be given their approvals despite paying the MPP&UD assessed fees in 2018.
The officials of the MPP&UD with a property developer, he said relied on a court judgment Wasimi community had no knowledge of or was a party to claim right and ownership over their lands and properties.
In a petition titled ‘Re: Planned demolition of Properties in Wasimi Community CDA, Maidan, Mile-12, Lagos state’, and addressed to the governor, counsel to Wasimi CDA, Hussain Tijani Esq, said they had approached the court for intervention in Suit No: ID/4230GMC/2020.
“Mr Governor, we humbly use this medium to appeal to you, to reverse your approval of the demolition our client properties, pending the determination of the suit no. ID/4230GCM/2020 before Hon. Justice L.A.M Folami of court 34, General Civil Division, Ikeja Division, Lagos state,” the statement read.
