The arrested occupants of the 86-roomed under-bridge apartments of the Dolphin Estate Bridge, Ikoyi, Lagos, where tenants were allegedly paying about N250,000 in annual rent, and the self-acclaimed landlords said to have been collecting rent from them, will soon be prosecuted by the Lagos State Government.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Kunle Adeshina, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the newsmen on Thursday.
The reports of the arrest of the occupants paying a whopping N250,000 as annual rent to live under the bridge left many in shock, with some Nigerians faulting the desperation of the occupants.
Sharing videos of the incident on his X account on Wednesday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said, “Eighteen individuals squatting illegally under the bridge leading from Dolphin Estate were arrested yesterday, April 30, 2024, by the officials from the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps.
Corroborating the disclosure, Kunle Rotimi-Akodu, a Special Adviser on Environment to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said about 23 persons were arrested, adding, “Squatters dwelling under the bridge leading from inward Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, were evicted today, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps.
A local who chose not to be mentioned because of fear of victimisation in the area also told our correspondent that some people used to buy cold drinks and water from one of the occupants.
But in an interview with the newsmen on Thursday, Adeshina said while the tenants might have been taken to a mobile court already, the self-acclaimed landlords would be prosecuted for using public street lights to supply power to the area.
He added that the state government would ensure that, apart from enforcement and arrest, the place would be protected from being taken over by miscreants.