Demolition: Lagos dismisses N700m bribe allegation
Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, has dismissed as false and malicious a viral video alleging that officials of the Ministry demanded N700 million to stop demolition of houses at Oral Estate, Ikota.
In a statement posted on his official social media accounts on Sunday, Wahab described the claim as “a deliberate attempt to blackmail the government and distract from its mission to prevent flooding and protect residents.”
He said, “My attention has been drawn to a circulating video containing false and malicious allegations that the Ministry demanded money from property owners to pause the ongoing removal of structures on drainage setbacks at Oral Estate, Ikota.
“I must state categorically that these claims are entirely false and a deliberate attempt to blackmail the government. Neither I nor any official from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has ever requested nor received any payment, whether N1 billion, N700 million, or a single kobo, from any property owner.”
A woman in the viral clip had claimed that Wahab and other ministry officials agreed to suspend the demolition after “negotiating N1 billion, which was later reduced to N700 million.” She was heard saying her estate was “trying to gather the money and give them this month.”
Wahab, however, maintained that the allegations were baseless and defamatory. He stressed that the ongoing demolition of illegal structures on drainage setbacks was a “public safety imperative” that could not be compromised for financial inducement.
“The operation to clear the Right of Way and Setbacks to different channels and canals of illegal obstructions is a public safety imperative, and it has not been paused for any form of negotiation or payment. Our work continues,” he said.
He added that the propaganda was a “dangerous distraction from our critical mission to prevent flooding and protect the majority of Lagosians.”
According to him, the Ministry takes the defamatory claims seriously and will seek legal redress.
“We shall be pursuing this matter legally, and the individual behind these claims will be required to provide proof to the appropriate authorities,” Wahab stated.
He also cautioned residents not to deal with intermediaries or make any payments in connection with statutory enforcement exercises.
The commissioner reaffirmed that demolitions across Ikota and neighbouring estates would continue to ensure free flow of water and avert seasonal flooding in Lagos.