Officials of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, have shut down 13 storey buildings located on Nnamdi Azikiwe Street on Lagos Island, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, for discharging sewage into drainage channels.
LASEPA officials, accompanied by officials of the Lagos State Taskforce stormed the area very early in the morning on Thursday to shut down the affected buildings.
All the buildings were residential with the ground loor of some of them converted to stores and rented out to traders at Idumota.
The environment in the area has been degraded and defaced with excreta by the traders and residents in some of the houses.
One of the buildings has several stores being used by movie producers to display their wares for the public to buy.
The enforcement team was led by Mr. Kayode Bello, Director, E-waste of the agency. The enforcement team stormed the area before traders could get to the market to open their shops in the buildings.
General Manager, LASEPA, Engr. Rasheed Shabi said the agency had issued abatement notices to the affected buildings to abate the nuisance in the area, but that they did not comply with the abatement.
He also said that several warnings were issued to the occupants and owners of the buildings to comply with the abatement notices issued to them, but said they ignored the government’s directives.
According to him, the affected houses had no toilets, which was why they dumped their excreta in drainage channels.
Shabi stated that the sewage being channeled into the drainage channel found their way into the lagoon, thus, killing the aquatic life in the lagoon.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the buildings would not be re-opened until they have met the required environmental standard set by LASEPA as their owners have been asked to report at the agency’s office.
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