The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has some posers to unravel as a Lagos-based business man, traders and investors tackle the state Building Control Agency (LABSCA), over the demolision of a three-storey shopping complex in Lagos Island, thegazellenews.com reports.
The aggrieved people are also seeking answers from the Agency and its officials why the building should be demolished five days after the agency had collected a total of N4.5 million paid in separate tranches of N2.5 million and N2 million respectively into two separate accounts.
Equally strange to the business man, the aggrieved traders and investors was why the building should be demolished in the wee hours of the morning, at 1am and without any prior notice to the developer and the traders.
Another poser for the state Governor to unravel, was why just few days after the wee-hour demolition, a new building sprang up and even extending beyond the original parcel of land where the demolished building occupied before the demolition. The new building is allegedly owned by an alleged land speculator, Saheed Keshinro popular known as Saheed Marley.
Thegazellenews.com’s investigation revealed that the demolition of the building, located at Nos 7, 9 and 11 Akinsemoyin Street by Breadfruit Street, Lagos Island, was carried out at about 1am on Sunday, 20 August, 2023.
“We woke up to the sounds of caterpillars and bulldozers cracking the building and we duly noted the developer who rushed to the scene with some of the investors,” one of the traders told our correspondent.
“It was most horrifying and insensitive. There was no notice given to us and more tragic was that as we attempt to rescue little we can salvage on that morning, we were prevented from doing so by the heavily armed security agents who accompanied the LABSCA officials to the scene,” another trader told thegazellenews.com.
Chiedozie Chikelu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Good Wave Resources Limited, the main developer for the complex, stated that the matter was more confusing and disheartening when few days before the demolition, he was made to pay a total of N4.5 million as regularisation fee.
“It was strange because on Tuesday, 15 August, 2023, that’s five days before the demolition, the developer had responded to a ‘stop work’ order by LABSCA officials. They demanded for all the regularisation documents relating to the building.
“This necessitated the payment N2.5 million and N2 million respectively into two separate accounts: a Guaranty Trust Bank account number 0169226434 owned by one Olusogo Oluwafunke Titilola; and a Wema Bank account number 0243550566 owned by the House of Ghufran,” a statement by the developer said.
It is also noted that the said account numbers were provided by the LABSCA officials.
With acknowledgement of the payment with necessary receipts, it was presupposed that all the necessary regularisation has been taken care of.
“So you can imagine the surprise and astonishment when the demolition took place and even without notice and coming in the wee hours of the morning,” the statement added.
Thegazellenews.com discovered that a new building has sprang up and even extending beyond the original space occupied by the demolished complex.
This medium learnt that the fact that the new building has extended beyond the original space allocated to the original developer had led to the Akinsemoyin family, the owner of the land who originally entered into lease agreement with Good Wave Resources Limited, instituting a court against Saheed Marley.
On 12 October, 2023, the Akinsemoyin family secured a court injunction stopping further work on the land from a Lagos High Court. Yet, despite the court order, Saheed Marley and his team continued the building project with alleged connivance of LABSCA officials.
Further investigations by thegazellenews.com revealed that the Akinsemoyin family originally entered into a lease agreement with Good Wave Resources Limited in 2021.
After the lease agreement signed by nine leaders of the Akinsemoyin family, the developer approached the state Government to perfect his papers.
All checks on the land by the government proved that the land is from all encumbrances, hence the Government granted Good Wave Resources Limited approval to commence construction of the shopping complex.
This was confirmed via a letter of approval from the Office of the state Surveyor General dated 13 July, 2023, with reference number OSG 272/2022/VOL X/64. The letter was signed by the duo of Tejuoso Adenike O (Mrs), an Assistant Surveyor General; and Mr Dada Oluwafemi, a Principal Surveyor on behalf of the Surveyor General.
Thus, the complex project took off in February 2023 and was completed in August 2023.
The developer was preparing for a grand commissioning when the building was demolished and a new one immediately sprang up.
When thegazellenews.com contacted LABSCA for its side of the story on the controversy, mum was the response from the agency.
A terse response to our enquiry stated that since the case is before a competent court of law, it would be prejudicial to comment on it.
The aggrieved traders, investors and developer have to come to terms with the fact that it is only the Governor who can solve the riddle.
The ball is now in the court of the Governor!
