Over 19 buildings were on Thursday demolished at the New Mandela Plaza within the popular Trade Fair Complex in Lagos, as the state government moved in with bulldozers under heavy security presence.
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Eyewitnesses reported that the exercise was supervised by a joint team of security operatives, including personnel from the Lagos State Task Force, the Rapid Response Squad, and other tactical units. Stern-looking officers cordoned off the area, restricted access, and chased away traders attempting to record the operation.
By mid-day, selective buildings inside the plaza had already been reduced to rubble, sparking outrage among shop owners who alleged they were not given prior notice.
“We don’t even know the reason for the demolition. That’s why you see people moving up and down, asking questions,” one trader told our correspondent. Another speculated that the structures may have been marked for encroaching on a canal.
A visibly distraught plaza owner, who arrived to find his shop being pulled down, protested that no notice had been served before the bulldozers moved in. Several sales representatives also lamented that their bosses’ goods, still locked inside the shops, were destroyed along with the buildings.
Distraught traders claimed that no fewer than 19 buildings, each valued at over ₦150 million, were affected by the demolition. “If government doesn’t want companies or development here, they should just come out and say it. People have invested their life savings here. Over 19 buildings are in that plaza,” one trader said angrily.
When contacted, the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force distanced his office from initiating the demolition, clarifying that the Task Force only provided security backup on request from other agencies. “Sometimes, security agencies in the state seek the backup of the Task Force to secure the environment. That does not mean they initiated the process. However, if such reports come to my table, I will let you know,” he said.
As of press time, the Lagos State Government had yet to issue an official statement on the exercise, though security operatives remained stationed at the complex to forestall any breakdown of law and order.
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