Lagos demolishes 17 illegal structures, seals 52 over planning violations
By Adeola Ogunrinde
The Lagos State Government has demolished 17 illegal structures and sealed 52 others across the state as part of efforts to enforce physical planning laws and restore order in the state.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Abiodun Oluyinka Olumide, disclosed this on Friday during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing held in Alausa, Ikeja, where he presented the ministry’s performance report for the third year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term.
Olumide said the enforcement actions followed investigations into several public complaints and development-related disputes reported to the ministry during the review period.
According to him, the ministry’s Technical Services Department received 987 petitions, out of which 399 cases were resolved through mediation and compliance enforcement, while 519 others are still under investigation.
“As part of our enforcement activities, 17 structures were removed and 52 others sealed for various planning infractions,” the commissioner stated.
He further noted that the ministry’s intervention had helped reduce litigation, minimise conflicts arising from enforcement activities and improve public confidence in government efforts to regulate physical development across Lagos State.
The commissioner also disclosed that the ministry completed three major planning documents, namely the Lagos Island Model City Plan, the Ibeju-Lekki Model City Plan and the Revised Badagry Master Plan, to guide infrastructure development, land use and sustainable urban growth.
Olumide also revealed that 205 housing estates were inspected during the period under review to ensure compliance with approved layout plans and development standards, while details of 176 illegal estates operating without approvals were published to protect residents from fraudulent property transactions. He added that the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority received 21,603 planning permit applications between June 2025 and March 2026 and approved 17,279 of them, including 4,113 approvals recorded during a 60-day amnesty programme introduced to encourage compliance.
