Lagos Mechanics’ Workshops Dem0lished in Egbe-Idimu LCDA Hours After Protest as Balogun Idris Claims FG Licence Over Land, Artisans Cry Out
Lagos Mechanics’ Workshops Demolished in Egbe-Idimu LCDA Hours After Protest as Balogun Idris Claims FG Licence Over Land, Artisans Cry Out
Barely hours after hundreds of automobile mechanics protested at the Lagos State House of Assembly over alleged land grabbing and brutality, workshops belonging to members of the Isokan Mechanic and Allied Association have been demolished in Isheri-Idimu, Lagos Reporters can report.
Findings by the Lagos Reporters investigation team revealed that several mechanics’ shops and workshops located along the Isheri-Idimu Powerline corridor were pulled down by yet-to-be-identified hoodlums. The demolition reportedly took place shortly after the artisans returned from their peaceful protest at the Assembly complex, where they had sought lawmakers’ intervention over threats to their livelihood.
Affected mechanics told Lagos Reporters that the destruction of the workshops has effectively cut off their only source of income, plunging thousands of artisans and traders into uncertainty. Tools, vehicle parts, and customers’ cars were said to have been damaged or buried during the demolition exercise.
Our investigation further established that the affected structures were mainly temporary workshops erected in compliance with earlier directives that prohibited permanent buildings along the powerline area. The sudden demolition has therefore raised fresh concerns among the artisans, who insist that due process was not followed and that no official notice was served prior to the action.
Chairman’s Earlier Position
When contacted by Lagos Reporters prior to the demolition, the Chairman of Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Idris Balogun, had stated that the location occupied by the mechanics falls within a pipeline route and directly under a power line, making it unsafe and unsuitable for commercial activities.
He further alleged that some of the mechanics had illegally sold portions of the land to individuals for residential development, an action he said was contrary to the designated use of the area and posed serious safety risks.
However, following the demolition exercise, fresh attempts by Lagos Reporters to reach Hon. Balogun for clarification and response to the latest development proved abortive. Calls and text messages sent to the council chairman were neither answered nor returned. Likewise, his aides were yet to respond as at the time of filing this report.
The demolition has further heightened tension in Isheri-Idimu, with mechanics describing the action as a direct attack on their means of survival and a continuation of the intimidation they had earlier protested against at the Lagos State House of Assembly.
