Residents allege brutalisation as Lagos intensifies building control

Residents of Royal Estate, Phase 1 in Alimosho Local Government, Isheri-Olofin of Lagos, are still counting their losses after the Lagos State Building Control Agency demolished alleged illegal structures in the estate, JOSEPHINE OGUNDEJI writes

Olayinka Balogun’s voice quivered with distress as she settled into a chair in her shop, recounting her story to our correspondent over the phone. It was a serene evening in the Isheri-Olofin area of Lagos. Though her wry smile was not visible, it could be sensed in her voice as she narrated the tragic tale.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she paused to wipe her face on the back of her hand audibly. Her voice trembled with emotion as she described the heart-wrenching events that had unfolded, expressing the deep hurt felt by her children.

“July 1, a Monday evening in Royal Estate, Phase 1 is a day I will never forget. The sun had just risen, casting a golden hue over the estate, when suddenly, chaos erupted. A group of individuals stormed into the estate. Their intentions were clear; they were there to damage parts of a building. The air was thick with tension as residents poured out of their homes to witness the commotion.

“As we stood there, bewildered and anxious, the estate’s security team quickly called the chairman. Within moments, the chairman arrived, his face a mix of concern and authority. He introduced him and tried to assert some control over the situation.

“However, this declaration only incited violence. The team turned on him with brutal force. They attacked him and started beating him. I cried out in shock. The scene descended into further chaos as passersby joined the fray, and schoolchildren, just dismissed from their classes, were caught in the turmoil,” she narrated to our correspondent.

Balogun further stated that members of the Lagos State Building Collapse Agency task force descended on her shop, pulling out a gun to threaten her.

“The pandemonium reached my shop. A woman stormed in, her eyes wild with anger. ‘You are the ones doing the video, right?’ she accused us. Terrified, we replied to her that we did not do any video, but our pleas fell on deaf ears. She pulled out a gun and waved it threateningly.

“Another woman, equally enraged, began firing shots into the air. My heart was racing. The nearby hotel became a battleground too. They used guns to chase away anyone trying to peek out, especially some girls who wanted to video them,” she continued.

The mother of two narrated the impact the encounter had on her children, as they were sleeping when the invasion occurred.

She remarked, “My children were inside the shop, sleeping and unaware of the danger outside. They were woken up by a tear gas fired into my shop. My little boy, just four years old, and my baby girl, only two, were vulnerable and helpless. My daughter started coughing and crying, while I was shouting for help, but my neighbours had all run away, and no one was there to help me.

“However, some young men came to our aid. They poured water on my baby’s face, trying to make her okay. I rushed both of them to the hospital.”

 Other residents speak

A stakeholder in the estate, Micheal Adeoti, said he appealed to the officials to take it easy while they were beating a boy, and then a stick landed on his back.

He said, “While I was appealing on behalf of a boy being beaten, I just heard from behind a big stick on my head. They also hit my face. I had to go to the hospital. I cannot do anything, my back and that part of my face are still hurting me.

“When they were beating me, the part of my face where they were beating me became bruised, and blood started flowing from my nostrils. A mark is still in my nose. Please, I want the Lagos State Government to investigate this brutality.

 “I took my phone to record all they were doing, and immediately an officer came to me and slapped me, dragging the phone from me.  The rest of the task force came to beat me up.”

The Secretary of the Royal Estate, Mrs Abigail Adeyinka, also alleged that she was not spared from the brutality.

“I want judgment because it is not good for a man to beat a woman; even the one who married me does not beat me. I was not just beaten by a man, but also a woman,” she lamented.

A plumber in the estate, Musibau Fashina, said he saw a mobile policeman who was a member of the task force carrying sledge hammers, approaching him.

He added that without any provocation, the mobile policeman descended on, and dragged him to their vehicle.

“Being an elderly man, they still collected my phone and refused to give it back. They went into the sealed house I was in and pulled down the house. The iPhone I dropped on a block for one of my boys, we could not find it anymore.

“I will go to the hospital to treat myself. I have never experienced such a thing in my life since I have been working.

“What I know task forces do is properly evacuate sealed buildings by telling people to come out, not brutalising people. I am still very surprised.”

One of the estate securities, Sodiq Asilebe, said he was beaten as if he were a thief.

He stated, “I was beaten so much that day. Five of the officials held only me as though I went to steal, and started punching me. I went through a lot that day, and I was in pain. I am just managing to come down to the office.

“On July 1, 2024, a day that began with promise and progress, it took a shocking and disturbing turn around 5 pm when I received a frantic call from the estate’s chief security officer. The LASBCA enforcement team, led by the district head, Sayo Omisore, had stormed the estate and was brutally destroying an uncompleted building, leaving a trail of debris and chaos in their wake.

“I rushed to the scene, accompanied by another estate executive who was with me and was met with a scene of utter destruction and pandemonium. The enforcement team, seemingly driven by a vendetta, was hell-bent on wreaking havoc on our community,” the Chairman of Royal Estate, Williams Adeyemi, told our correspondent.

The estate chairman said that the task force beat him up and shots were fired in the air to intimidate him.

He continued, “As I arrived at the scene, the situation rapidly deteriorated. I was confronted by the enforcement team, who were determined to intimidate and silence me. Before I knew what was happening, a terrible slap landed on my face from behind from one of the policemen who accompanied the enforcement team.

“I was shocked by that move, as it was never expected as there was no form of threat/resistance whatsoever. Several parts of the building had been damaged before I got to the scene area.

“Immediately after the slap landed on my face, I was rushed by several people. They started shooting into the air, including tear-gassing the entire environment. I was told I lost control of myself at some point and was bundled into their vehicle to their office at Oshodi, where I was subjected to further harassment and intimidation. To my utmost dismay, the team had prepared false and misleading statements against me, which were far from the truth.”

Adeyemi explained that the estate executives had recently met with the district head, where a mutually beneficial agreement to work together and resolve any issues amicably was reached.

“I need to clarify that my visit to her office with five other estate executives was only for issues related to the phase. However, it became clear that her words were nothing more than empty promises, as she had been secretly plotting to destroy our property all along.

“Sayo has prioritised her selfish interests over and above her core responsibilities as LASBCA district head covering the Alimosho axis.

“Several stakeholders in the estate have lodged complaints about her inhumane behaviour and excessive financial demands, which she has made without issuing receipts. Unfortunately, they have felt compelled to acquiesce to her demands due to her threats of issuing demotion notices and locking their gates, denying them vehicle access to their properties. Despite their grievances, they felt powerless enough to resist her demands. Nearly all the affected stakeholders preferred to be anonymous as they were afraid of the consequences this disclosure may have on their property,” he stated.

Adeyemi urged the Lagos State Building Control Agency to address the matter promptly, saying, “We would appreciate the Lagos State Building Control Agency urgently looking into this matter and always ensuring a problem solver official in such a sensitive position handed over to Omisore rather than someone always being driven by self-aggrandisement and personal vendetta.”

He added that, regarding the matter, the estate would like to focus more on the level of unwarranted harassment and brutality on people right under the directive of Sayo Omisore, who led the operations.

He added, “While trying to follow what sadly has been established as the new normal since the resumption of Arc. Sayo Omisore, we gave Ajakaiye N200,000 on the order of Omisore, which should ordinarily make them not focus on the house while the process of making necessary government payments is going on.

“As I mentioned previously, we have made all government payments as per the assessment notices. We now have a generated file number but are waiting for the approval to come out.”

LASBCA reacts

Omisore told The PUNCH that she needed the permission of the Public Relations Officer of the agency, Segun Olaoye before she could speak.

Meanwhile, the PRO noted that the community obstructed the officials from carrying on their duties.

He said, “Members of the resident associations obstructed officials of LASBCA from carrying out their lawful duties.  The officials approached the area for verification of their building certifications, which none of them possess.

“Attempts to serve them demand and contravention notices were met with stiff resistance by the residents. Our officials never assaulted any of the residents; rather, it was members of the resident associations who tried to use force to prevent officials from carrying out their lawful duties.

“We call on any of the resident associations with requisite building documents to come forward and present them. “

Moreover, a legal practitioner, Sola Adekunle, said the dignity of a human being was sacrosanct and cannot be violated at will.

He cited, “In the case of any government agency violating the dignity of people on the ground that it had issued notice to them to vacate a particular premises, such notice does not give them any right or power to violate the human dignity or any other fundamental rights of the people.

“In the case of Mogaji v. Board of Customs and Excise, the court declared the actions of the respondents as violating the rights to dignity of the people even though the customs were raiding to seize contraband items in a market. Pushing or unnecessary shoving by law enforcement agencies is also a violation of the right to dignity; see the case of Alaboliv. Boyle. The use of tear gas is even worse, which could lead to the loss of lives of asthmatic victims and other serious injuries.”

According to Adekunle, the law does not recognise the notice to vacate premises from law enforcement agencies as an avenue to violate the fundamental right to dignity.

“Any notice must be an order of the court, in which case a violation of the order by the occupier of the premises will not give the right to violate the rights of the occupiers who have refused to vacate the premises. Such a refusal will only grant the right to arrest and prosecute them for contempt of court, in which case a reasonable force may be used to arrest them after a court order for same,” he noted.

He stated that the flagrant violation of the rights of citizens by law enforcement agencies without any consequence for the violators or officers leading his team to violate the rights of citizens was a result of a failed and irresponsible government.

He added, “The law enforcement agencies have pride in the fact that sanctions would not be meted out to them as they are executing a government task, albeit unconstitutionally.

“When sanctions such as demotions, suspension without pay, disciplinary hearings and personal liability for monetary judgments and other court orders are made to apply to erring officers and scapegoats are made of erring officers by the government, the law enforcement agencies will retrace their steps and begin to respect the fundamental rights of citizens.”

Another legal practitioner, Olukayode Sanni, said brutality was illegal and beyond the powers of the Lagos State Building Control Agencies.

He said, “On LASBCA beating people up while carrying out their duty is illegal and beyond their powers. Even the police cannot go about beating up people except to apply force to arrest or carry out their duties, where there is an obstruction or a suspect resists arrest.

“LASBCA’s mandate is restricted to enforcing building control laws and codes; they do not have the power to beat or arrest people irrespective of any obstruction when they are carrying out their duty.”