Lagos Government denies collecting ₦700m bribe to halt Ikota demolition

The Lagos State Government has denied allegations that officials of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources demanded ₦700 million from residents of Oral Estate, Ikota, to stop the demolition of houses built on drainage setbacks.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, in a statement on Sunday, dismissed the claim as false and malicious, describing it as an attempt to blackmail the government and distract from its flood prevention efforts.

The allegation stemmed from a viral video in which a woman claimed that officials from the ministry had agreed to halt the demolition after demanding ₦1 billion and later settling for ₦700 million.

She was heard saying, “Thank God for today. We have peace of mind. We’re not hearing an excavator tearing people’s houses down. The Commissioner came, and we agreed to pay ₦1 billion for sheet piling, but it ended at ₦700 million. My estate is trying to gather the money to pay this month.”

Wahab, however, refuted the claim, insisting that neither he nor any official of the ministry requested or received any money from property owners.

“My attention has been drawn to a circulating video containing false and malicious allegations that the ministry demanded money to pause the ongoing removal of structures on drainage setbacks at Oral Estate, Ikota. These claims are entirely false and a deliberate attempt to blackmail the government,” he stated.

The commissioner explained that the ongoing clearance of illegal structures on canals and drainage channels is a public safety measure aimed at preventing flooding and has not been suspended for negotiation or payment.

He noted that the government would take legal action against those behind the defamatory claims and warned residents not to entertain intermediaries or make payments to influence statutory enforcement.