Lagos State Government has given residents living in its state-owned housing estates a four-month deadline to remove all illegal structures and building extensions that violate approved estate plans.

According to the statement by the Lagos State government, the directive was issued by the Lagos State Ministry of Housing, which warned that any structure built outside the approved layout of the estates, must be removed within the stipulated period or face enforcement action by the government.

During a recent stakeholders’ meeting at the Alausa Secretariat, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abdulhafis Toriola, once again issued the warning.

The session, held in the Ministry’s Conference Room, served as a platform for the Ministry’s management to discuss these concerns with the executives of the Ojokoro Estate Residents Association from Meiran.

He noted that the full scale of the unauthorized building extensions and developments only became obvious to him during a recent inspection of the estate.

“The Ministry will not fold its arms and allow the distortion of the original master plan of any State-owned estate.

“All allottees were duly informed of the rules and regulations governing their properties before allocation, as clearly outlined in the Allottee’s Guide. Any breach of these provisions will attract appropriate sanctions,” the Permanent Secretary stated.

Following the meeting, it was agreed that all recorded violations within the estate must be cleared away within a four-month period.

​Toriola further revealed that the ministry had already obtained the required authorization to demolish illegal buildings and start work on restoring the estate to its original, officially approved design and planning specifications.

He clarified that the move was intended to rectify existing issues, bolster security, and upgrade the estate’s overall look, rather than to penalize the homeowners.

​The Permanent Secretary also responded to assertions from some residents who claimed they had received permission from the Lagos Building Investment Company for certain modifications to their buildings.

Tosin Olugbile, the Assistant General Manager of the company, refuted those claims, making it clear that no such building modifications had been authorized.

​In response, Taiwo Akinde, the Chairman of the Ojokoro Estate Residents Association, voiced his worry regarding the growing number of unauthorized structures appearing throughout the estate.

Furthermore, he affirmed that the residents’ association stands behind the government’s initiative to reorganize and fix the estate.

​As part of their ongoing efforts to work with the community, the Ministry’s directors and the Monitoring and Compliance team joined the residents’ association for their general meeting on February 28, 2026.

During the session, residents were briefed on the government’s official stance and the importance of strictly following the estate’s established guidelines.

​Reaffirming this position, Toriola stressed that the duty to protect and maintain state-owned housing projects rests on the shoulders of both the government and the residents.

“State-owned housing estates are planned communities developed to specific standards. Any alteration inconsistent with approved plans compromises infrastructure integrity, environmental balance, and public safety,” he stated.

Consequently, the Lagos State Government has urged residents in all its housing projects to strictly adhere to the set guidelines.

The ministry further cautioned that the government will take appropriate measures to protect public assets and preserve the structural and environmental integrity of its housing estates.

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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a former councillor in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, Sheleru Olalekan, over alleged involvement in illicit drug trafficking.

The 45-year-old, who previously served two terms representing Orimedu community and currently works as a legislative aide, was arrested on March 2, 2026, at his residence in Ilado, Ibeju-Lekki.

According to a statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, operatives recovered 40 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, from one of the rooms in the suspect’s house during a search.

“In his statement, Sheleru admitted ownership of the exhibit and the property where it was recovered.

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“He said he had previously served two terms as a Councilor representing Orimedu community in Ibeju-Lekki local government council,” Babafemi said.

In a separate operation in the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA officers on March 3 intercepted a 32-year-old businessman, Emeka Hyginus Okwor, travelling from Obollo-Afor in Enugu State to Zuba, Abuja.

A search of his luggage led to the discovery of 1,000 pills of tapentadol 250mg concealed inside baby diapers. The suspect reportedly confessed that he was transporting the consignment to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where he operates a provision store.

“On same day, 3rd of March, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kabba/Obajana highway, Kogi state, intercepted a consignment of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 1.550kg concealed inside a standing fan carton belonging to 36-year-old Cameroonian, Mey Ali Muhamat who hails from Maroua, Republic of Cameroon. The suspect was travelling in a commercial bus from Lagos to Cameroon enroute Lokoja, Kano and Maiduguri,” the statement added.

In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on March 4 intercepted a commercial bus along the Mokwa–Jebba road coming from Ibadan in Oyo State with 500 pieces of improvised explosive device components concealed in a sack.

A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient, Osama Abdullahi, 21, in Pelegi, Mashegu Local Government Area.

In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives in Yola on the same day recovered 122,000 pills of tramadol and 700 grams of methamphetamine from the false bottom of a truck conveying 2,000 cartons of local drinks.

Similarly, officers arrested Muhammed Ali, 20, at Gadar Tamburawa in Kano State on March 3 with 11,283 pills of tramadol.

In Ogun State, operatives conducting a raid in Ogere arrested two suspects, Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa, with 46 kilograms of skunk.

In Delta State, two suspects — Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22 — were arrested on March 7 in Ogwashi-Uku with 18.63kg of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine-based syrup and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol.

NDLEA operatives also destroyed 1,910.25kg of skunk on two farms in Egbisi forest in Uhumwonde Local Government Area of Edo State, where two suspects, Eke London, 48, and Austin Isusi, 49, were arrested. Another suspect, Alaba Adeboye, 47, was apprehended in Ikhin town, Owan East Local Government Area, with 176.50kg of skunk.

The agency said its commands across the country also continued the War Against Drug Abuse enlightenment campaign in schools and communities, including sensitisation programmes in secondary schools in Oyo, Niger, Zamfara, Lagos, Sokoto, Ebonyi and Anambra states.

The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers of the Lagos, FCT, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Edo, Ogun, Delta and Adamawa commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts nationwide.

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