The Lagos State Government has demolished 13 buildings in Ajao Estate, close to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki, said the buildings were demolished for lacking required approvals, and were cited around the airport restricted areas while some were cited on aviation fuel pipelines.

Oki added that the builders also lacked required approvals for construction in that area, insisting that the buildings were constructed illegally in disregard to extant laws.

“The buildings had no planning permit and were built around the pipelines. Nobody in his right mind will build on a pipeline,” he noted.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which supported the government’s action, especially after issuing several stop warnings to ‘encroachers’ who ‘stole’ from the airport land to build.

General Manager (Business Development) of FAAN, Ngwu Hyacinth, applauded the partnership with LASBCA to bring normalcy and decency to the airport environment. He lamented that the airport authority began to notice encroachment on its land in 2015, which defied the rule that no building must be cited close to the perimeter fence.