LASG dismisses bribery allegation in Ikota demolition, says operation non-negotiable
Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has dismissed reports alleging that officials of his ministry demanded payment from property owners to halt the demolition of structures at Oral Estate, Ikota.
The commissioner’s reaction followed a viral video in which a woman claimed that ministry officials had agreed to stop the demolition after initially demanding ₦1 billion and later reducing the amount to ₦700 million.
In the video, the woman said: “Thank God for today. We have peace of mind. We’re not hearing an excavator tearing people’s houses down, people crying. The Commissioner, Ministry of Environment, came, and we had an agreement that my estate is going to pay ₦1 billion for sheet piling. It ended in ₦700 million for sheet piling. My estate is trying to gather the money and give them this month.”
However, in a statement posted on his official social media accounts on Sunday, Wahab described the allegations as “false, malicious, and a deliberate attempt to blackmail the government.”
He said: “Neither I nor any official from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has ever requested or received any payment—whether ₦1 billion, ₦700 million, or a single kobo—from any property owner.”
Wahab explained that the ongoing clearance of structures obstructing drainage channels and setbacks across the state is a public safety exercise aimed at preventing flooding.
“The operation to clear rights of way and setbacks to different channels and canals is a public safety imperative. It has not been paused for any form of negotiation or payment. Our work continues,” he stated.
Describing the viral claims as “a dangerous distraction,” Wahab said the ministry will not allow misinformation to derail its efforts to protect residents from flood risks.
He further disclosed that the government will pursue legal action against those spreading falsehoods.
“We are taking this defamatory allegation with utmost seriousness and shall be pursuing the matter legally. The individual behind these claims will be required to provide proof before the appropriate authorities,” Wahab added.
