Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr Adegoke Fayoade, disclosed this while briefing journalists on Friday at the command headquarters in Onikan.

He said four suspects, a woman aged 25 and three men aged 30, 34 and 43, were arrested through intelligence-led operations.

“Recovered items include two luxury cars, a plastic pistol, crowbars, knives, jewellery, designer watches, mobile phones, iPads and other valuables,” he said.

Fayoade said the operation followed petitions from residents of Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, over repeated robbery incidents.

“The principal suspect, aged 34, rented a short-let apartment in a highbrow community to facilitate attacks on Parkview, Banana Island and Lekki Phase One.

“He carried out robberies wearing hoodies and masks, armed with guns and dangerous weapons, and admitted stealing property worth over N3 billion,” Fayoade added.

He said the confession led to the arrest of the 43-year-old suspect, who admitted buying stolen gold, diamond jewellery and luxury watches.

“Some of the stolen items were moved to Cotonou, Benin Republic, to evade recovery by rightful owners,” he said.

The AIG said part of the proceeds was used to purchase a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE valued at N74 million for the principal suspect.

Fayoade said investigations were ongoing and pledged that all perpetrators would face the full weight of the law.

He urged residents of Lagos and Ogun states to report suspicious activities through the command’s official social media platforms and email channels.

The channels include X: @Zone_2PPRO, Instagram: Zone2_policeng, and email: presszonlagos@gmail.com

Source: NAN

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The directive was given in a statement personally signed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab.

According to him, all approved reclamation projects across the state must be submitted for proper documentation and monitoring, while all on-going and intending ones must be subjected to the Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, process with issuance of Approval and Drainage Clearance from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

His words: “Failure to comply with this directive within the next 7 DAYS will leave the Ministry with no other option than to deploy appropriate machineries to decommission the reclaimed sites including excavation and removal of fill and reconnecting of already blocked water channels on the Lagoon amongst others.”

Wahab also warned that the state government would effect the arrest and prosecution of anyone involved and or are found on the site of such illegality after the expiration of the seven days warning.

READ ALSO: S’Arabia frees three Nigerians arrested over alleged drug trafficking

He expressed grave concern about the proliferation of reclamation activities on Wetlands, Floodplains and the Lagoons across the state.

He identified locations where such acts are prevalent to include Parkview, Banana Island, Osborne, other parts of Ikoyi, Victoria Island Extension, Lekki, Ajah, Ikorodu, Oworonshoki, Lagos Mainland, Ojo and Badagry axis, without consideration of the adverse Impacts on the Environment and the Wellbeing and Safety of the good people of the State.

The commissioner stressed that the indiscriminate reclamation projects were being executed without requisite Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, Approvals and Drainage Clearance from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

He said, “While reclamation may provide space for Housing and Infrastructure redevelopment, it also poses significant Environmental and Social risks including increased vulnerability to flooding, coastal erosion, disruption of livelihood (especially fishing), loss of wetlands and biodiversity, constriction of the Lagoons and their capacity, impairment of water quality amongst others.”

He was of the opinion that with the low-lying topography of Lagos State and its fragile ecosystem, the state government could not afford to allow the indiscriminate reclamation of the Lagoons, Wetlands and floodplains to continue unabated.

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Mr Gbolahan Oki, General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, made the announcement at a stakeholders meeting on Banana Island, on Thursday.

He said that the buildings were encroaching on prohibited areas, violating building codes and posing safety risks.

Oki said: “From Monday to Friday, next week, officials will come and mark the buildings; the following week, we will just give you two weeks to get your documents ready.

“After that, I am going to pull everything down.”

The general manager said that the decision followed  illegal constructions on Banana Island, particularly buildings under high-tension power lines and those too close to  shoreline.

He said that the lives of Lagos residents were more important than the value of the property.

Oki said that LASBCA had taken a similar action in other areas such as Abule Egba, Iya Iba and Iyana Isheri, by removing buildings under high-tension lines.

The general manager said that buildings under high-tension lines or too close to shoreline violated established planning rules and regulations.

Oki said: “The government’s regulations require buildings to be at least 150 metres from the shoreline, which was generously reduced to 100 metres.

“Even with the leniency, some developers have failed to comply.”

Dr Babatunde Olajide, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on e-GIS and Planning Matters, emphasised that the state government, through the governor, was the sole authority on land matters within the state, as stipulated by the Land Use Act.

He said that the state had a master plan for the area, adding that unauthorised sand filling and land reclamation had disrupted the organised development the state envisioned.

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He appealed to the residents to co-operate with the state government, saying that the government was there to serve them and needed their cooperation to do so effectively.

He said that the government had received complaints about illegal extensions in the area and had set up a committee headed by the Mr Olalekan Sodeinde, Permanent Secretary, Office of Urban Development, to investigate.

Mr Olalekan Sodeinde, Permanent Secretary, Office of Urban Development, Lagos State, said that the estate, which was once a source of pride and a premium property location, was losing its status due to negative environmental impacts.

That, he said, was the reason the government intervened to restore order and prevent further degradation.

He also confirmed that the governor directed his Special Adviser on e-GIS and Planning Matters and the Office of Urban Development to conduct an assessment of the situation.

The Chairman, Banana Island Association, Mr Abidemi Sonaike, expressed willingness to co-operate with the government and other stakeholders to resolve issues on the estate.

He expressed satisfaction at the government’s initiative in calling the meeting, saying it was a positive first step toward collaboration.

Sonaike called for joint efforts in finding lasting solutions.

Source: NAN

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Sanwo-Olu gave the order on Saturday during his visit to the site of the collapsed seven-storey building and inspection of other infrastructure around the Island.

At 310 Close, he ordered the demolition of the two-storey building because it was an illegal structure, without approval.

Also at 306 Close, the governor ordered the removal of two-storey buildings adjacent to each other because they were constructed under the powerline and under water.

While speaking at the site of the collapsed seven-storey building, he blamed the unfortunate incident on the irresponsibility of the developers and some of the citizens that just wanted to make quick money.

Sanwo-Olu also blamed the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, for allegedly granting extension of the line of Banana Island.

According to him, the incident showed that the Lagos State building officers were not alive to their responsibilities, and officers found culpable would also be sanctioned.

“We are at the site of the last unfortunate building collapse in Banana Island Lagos. Like it has been reported before now, there has been a lot of investigation that is going on right now and you can see that they are still clearing the rubbles at the site.

“We have given an order to stop work, not only at this site but also in all of the construction sites in Banana Island.

“I think that the exercise we are doing today is not really just about this location. You have all seen the extent of what I will call unapproved extension into the water, at the back of each of the land that is abutting water.

“You can see that the original line for Banana Island is even not where we are. It’s way in front there and you can see that there are several extensions that have been granted by both the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and NIWA.

“These are the two federal agencies that have been culpable for those extensions.

“From what I have been told all of the four buildings at the back have never even applied for approvals. The illegality is real and so that is why we are going round other properties in Banana Island.

“Excuses have been given that they don’t have access and this is not acceptable. This is a total recklessness of all of the developers and we will make a strong point out of this place and all around Banana Island and in other developments that we have,” he said.

The governor said that an external seven-member committee had been set up with two weeks mandate to independently ascertain what had gone wrong.

He said that the outcome from the committee would further strengthen the government to be able to come up with a robust work plan that could be enforced going forward.

“We have had to change staff here and there so that we can bring forward a robust and very strong monitoring offices. But we believe that we are still far from, we are still short on it, I must say.

“We will continue to do what we need to do to ensure that we keep the lives of our residents safe at all times,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Source: NAN

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The Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, made this known in a statement by its Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mukaila Sanusi, on Wednesday.

“The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Tayo Bamgbose-Martins was immediately on site to assess the situation and flag- off investigation,” the statement reads in part.

Meanwhile, the ministry and the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has confirmed that no life was lost in the incident.

“It is confirmed that no one is trapped in the rubbles. Therefore it is no longer an emergency case,” Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, Lagos Territorial Coordinator of NEMA, said.

In the press statement by Sanusi, Lagos State government also confirmed that, “There is no fatality.”

The government, however, said that some persons sustained injuries following the incident.

The statement reads further: “This unfortunate incident happened while casting was being done…

“We ask members of the public to remain calm and expect further information from the ministry as we know more.”

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The regulatory compliance seal order on the BIPORAL water plant supplying water to residents of Banana Island in Ikoyi was sequel to tests earlier conducted by the LSWRC which revealed that the water quality of the plant was unsafe for consumption, and needed to be subjected to improved treatment.

Addressing newsmen at the site of the plant during quality control enforcement, LSWRC Executive Secretary, Mrs Funke Adepoju, said the decision had to be taken in view of the need to protect residents from consumption of unhygienic water which is harmful to health.

She said the plant would remain shut until necessary improvements were carried out by the service provider in line with the drinking water quality control of the state government and the plant recertified safe to resume operation.

“It is important to note that drinking water must be safe and wholesome, free from pathogenic agents or harmful chemical substances and comply with prescribed standards of WHO (World Health Organisation) and the Lagos State Drinking Water guidelines. We have tested their water and wastewater and results show that it falls short of the prescribed limit. The service provider is obligated to deliver water that meets quality specified by the regulator.

“The service provider needs to ensure the functionality of the water and wastewater treatment plants. This is basically to protect the consumers which are what is paramount to us as a government. For now, the plant will not operate until the necessary treatment is carried out,” Adepoju said.

She said the state government was very much interested in the quality of the water residents consume, saying that no unwholesome practice that would endanger people’s health would henceforth be allowed.

“However, the power of the Commission to regulate the activities of these category of players in the water sector by monitoring water quality is being exercised because so much caution has been thrown into the wind in water production and profit is placed above safety.

“It is important to remind us all that all water borne diseases are deadly. You have cholera, typhoid, dysentery, among others. So, if these diseases are deadly, it then behoves on us as a government to ensure that we protect the consumers who in this case are residents and citizens of the state in line with the Health and Environment Pillar of the THEMES agenda of the Babjide Sanwo-Olu administration,” she said.

She added that all water producers be it carbonated water and beverages producers, be it water tanker operators, be it table and sachet water producers, be it dispenser water producers, be it private service providers in residential estates and all those engaged in the processing, packaging, distribution, sale and supply of water, are all obligated by law, specifically Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017, to deliver water that meets quality specified by the regulator.

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