Residents and traders living or plying their trade under high tension cables across Lagos state must vacate such places.

Chairman, Lagos State Task Force, Olayinka Egbeyemi gave this warning during the demolition of illegal structures and over three hundred and fifty illegal shops constructed under high tension cables at Oba Wahab Ayinde Balogun Modern Market, Isheri-Olofin under Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area in Alimosho.

Egbeyemi, a Superintendent of Police confirmed that residents and traders of the illegal structures and shops/shanties were served adequate statutory notices before the demolition exercise.

While confirming that the residents and traders were allowed to remove their goods and properties, he said the exercise was carried out by government to protect lives and properties of people living in the State.

The demolition exercise was jointly carried out by Lagos State Task Force, Lagos State Building Control Agency and Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

Assistant General Secretary of Oba Wahab Ayinde Balogun Modern Market, Yisa Mudashiru in his reactyion to the demolition, however said they had been selling and living inside the market for over thirty-five years.

He also confirmed that they were served adequate notices and that both the ‘Baba Oloja’, Salami Alao and ‘Iya Oloja’, Alhaja Irat Adebayo were lobbing government officials for a stay of execution before today.

Leader of the Hausa Community at the market Aliyu Galadima said the market was divided among the three ethnic groups namely Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo.

Galadima stated that immediately notices were served, he and his other ethnic group leaders quickly informed residents and traders of the market about the intention of the government.

He however commended the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode for his zero tolerance on safety standard measures across the State.

Egbeyemi said other areas where illegal structures and shops were constructed under high tension cables have been adequately served with demolition notices.

Each shop is said to have been sold out rightly between N1.5m to N3m or a monthly rent of N5,000 by a developer ‘Jasiours Enterprises’ who got the property from two sons of the monarch of Isheri, Oba Wahab Ayinde Balogun; the names of the two sons are, Mr. Samson Wahab Balogun, a.k.a Oba and Idris Wahab Balogun, a.k.a Oluomo who claimed to be owners of the land.

One Paul Akuagbe and his wife, Florence Akuagbe said they just paid the developer N30 million last Monday for out right purchase of 10 shops.

The affected residents and traders are therefore calling on the government to help them recover their money running into millions of naira from the developer.