The Lagos State Government has intensified its enforcement drive against unlawful reclamation and dredging around the Lagos Lagoon, sealing off several locations in Lekki and arresting five individuals.
The enforcement exercise involved the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development working in collaboration with the Ministries of Physical Planning, Environment and Water Resources, as well as the Lands Bureau.
The joint team moved against illegal construction, land expansion without approval, and breaches of environmental regulations.
Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Dayo Bush Alebiosu, who led the team, confirmed that officials sealed a site located at 13A Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1. He explained that the owners had ignored repeated stop-work directives and continued with unauthorised reclamation and boundary extensions. He condemned their defiance, calling it “an act of legendary audacity.”
“This building has been sealed several times by the relevant ministries since last year, yet the owners persist with construction and even host social events in defiance of the law. Today, we are back with the Ministries of Physical Planning and the Environment to enforce compliance,” Alebiosu said.
He also stated that those arrested would face prosecution, warning that penalties could include losing the reclaimed land. Sand recovered from the location, he noted, would be redirected to lawful projects.
Commissioner for Physical Planning, Dr. Olumide Oluyinka, highlighted further infractions. He revealed that approval was originally granted for 1,200 square meters, but the developers unlawfully expanded it to 8,000 square meters.
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“The site has once again been sealed. We will revoke all authorisations connected to this land. Despite the building being incomplete, it has been used for parties, endangering lives. That is unacceptable and why this action is necessary,” Oluyinka explained.
During the operation, the task force also visited multiple parts of the Lekki Foreshore, where several illegal dredging and reclamation activities were uncovered. Five suspects were taken into custody, while others escaped on sighting the officials.
Alebiosu expressed concern over the unchecked scale of dredging, noting that none of the operators had conducted the required Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA.
“Some dredging extends up to seven kilometres into the lagoon, with no accountability on the volume of sand extracted, which is then diverted for illegal reclamation,” he said, pointing out that makeshift shanties on the waterfront often serve as hideouts for criminal elements. He added that one vessel fled the scene during the raid.