Despite a 24-hour eviction notice issued by the Lagos State Government, traders, squatters, and livestock rearers continue to occupy spaces beneath the Oja Oba Underbridge at Adeniji Adele.
The State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, had on Wednesday directed all illegal occupants to vacate the premises, citing environmental degradation and public safety concerns following the discovery of livestock being reared under the bridge.
“This misuse of public infrastructure poses significant environmental and safety hazards,”; Wahab said, adding that failure to comply would result in the forceful removal of all illegal shanties.
Wahab emphasized that the clearance operation forms part of the state’s broader strategy to reclaim and sanitize public spaces.
However, our reporter gathered that many of the occupants have disregarded the directive. Trading activities persisted under unsanitary conditions, with individuals cooking, eating, and residing beneath the bridge. The area is still littered with heaps of plastic bottles, wooden scraps, and other waste materials.
It was also observed that some of the current occupants were among those previously displaced during a similar eviction exercise at Adeniji Adele in 2024 and have since resettled under the bridge.
