By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), commonly known as KAI, has demolished at least 54 illegal structures, displacing 84 occupants and removing eight makeshift toilets erected beneath Eko Bridge, in the Ebute-Ero, Elegbeta Water Channel area of Lagos Island.

The operation, led by the Corps Marshal of the agency, Major Olaniyi Cole (retd), took place on Monday. He explained that the action was part of ongoing efforts to reduce environmental nuisances in the metropolis to the barest minimum.

According to Cole, “The Elegbeta Water Channel, which spans the Lagos Lagoon under the Eko Bridge near the Ebute-Ero axis, had become a haven for miscreants and illegal occupants. They were not only occupying the waterfront but also engaging in indiscriminate dumping of refuse into the lagoon, using the base of the bridge as a criminal hideout, and promoting open defecation and urination. We took action after serving a 7-day abatement notice, which was ignored.”

Cole also commended the leadership of the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, and reiterated that “the mandate of the agency to maintain a cleaner and greener environment, as outlined in the THEMES+ agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, remains paramount and essential to the collective cleanliness of the state.”

The Corps Marshal warned environmental offenders who engage in indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and water bodies, as well as those erecting illegal structures on road setbacks, lay-bys, kerbs, medians, and verges. He emphasized that such defaulters, including those failing to obtain valid waste collection contracts, would face legal consequences for disregarding the state’s environmental laws.

He also urged residents to use pedestrian bridges rather than crossing highways illegally, stressing that defaulters would continue to be arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent.

As the Yuletide season approaches, Cole called on residents to be more safety-conscious and to provide law enforcement with community-based intelligence when security issues are identified.