Demolition of shanties at Lagos community was legally done –Adeleye

By Favour Ugochukwu and Blessing Iwuala

The man behind the demolition of 35 shops in shanties at Gasikiya College Road, Ijora-Badia, Lagos, Omopariola Adeleye has said that he followed due process and legal route before the demolition was done

Adeleye, who spoke with Daily Sun Newspapers ,was reacting to allegations by shop owners that he did not serve them quit notice before demolishing the shanties.

He said he is the new the owner of the disputed one-acre property which he said he acquired legally as he debunked the allegations by Mr. Taiwo Alonge-Lawrence, a member of late Chief Olatunde Lawrence family, who claimed that the demolition was illegal.

Adeleye, who displayed his purchase documents before Daily Sun, insisted that he lawfully acquired the land, gave shop occupants ample notice to vacate, and never demanded or collected a dime from them since the year  2022 that he took over the ownership of the place .

Alonge-Lawrence had raised the alarm following the September 4, 2025, demolition, alleging that it was carried out by suspected land grabbers in company with the officials of the Lagos State Government. He accused them of taking laws into their hands by approving the demolition despite his lawyer submitting documents to prove ownership of the land.

In an interview with Daily Sun, Adeleye dismissed the claims, stressing that the transaction was valid and properly documented.

According to Adeleye,“I purchased the property through an agent, Lara, who introduced me to a member of the family, Kehinde Da-Costa Lawrence. He presented all the necessary documents, including the deed of sale, the letter of administration, and other supporting papers, confirming that the land had been sold to me. After we signed the agreement, I commenced work on the site,” he said.

He said trouble started when all of a sudden,Taiwo surfaced, claiming that the land had not been sold even though payment had already been made, “ I was surprised,so, I quickly reached out to the family that sold the land to me. They directed me to their lawyer, George Itunin of Park View, who also represents the family’s first son, Dr. Dapo, who lives abroad, along with some of the sisters. The matter was resolved,” he explained.

Adeleye further maintained that before the demolition, quit notices were duly served on the occupants to vacate the shops in order for construction work to commence.

He said that even after quit notice was served to the occupants, “Most of them ignored the notice after a counter-message was sent to them not to move out. Yet, the notices, copies of which were issued in March and April 2025, were clear,” he said.

The Baálè of Oridilu, Gasikiya, Chief Lateef Olatunji , also corroborated Adeleye’s claims , saying that,“As the traditional head, Adeleye informed me that he purchased several acres of land in Gasikeya Estate, a transaction confirmed by Baba Gasikeya’s son, Kehinde, who admitted selling his share of the property to him. Trouble only began when he sought to take control of the shops, built along the fence of the land he bought, and one of Baba Gasikeya’s sons objected.”

Similarly, Mrs. Aduke Olapade, daughter of one of the former administrators of the estate, shed more light on the transaction.

She said: “For clarity, my father and two others were administrators of the Gasikiya estate. At some point, because of age, my father relinquished his role to the owner’s eldest son, Kehinde, who lives abroad. He (Kehinde)sold part of the estate, including those shops, willed to him by his late father to Adeleye. The lawyers informed the tenants to stop paying rent into the estate’s account and instead ,pay to the new owner.

It was after the demolition that tenants realised the land actually belonged to Adeleye, who had legally purchased it from my cousin, Kehinde Lawrence. The transaction was perfected by lawyers, and documents were signed. The shops fell within the portion of land sold to Adeleye. So, this matter is not about force or illegality; it is about documented ownership. The family is aware of it”.

When Daily Sun visited the scene, some displaced traders were seen hanging around the demolished site, selling their wares in the open as they searched for alternative shops.

One of them, Mrs Basirat Saidu, a caterer told our Correspondent that: “We were told that the property had been sold, but we never met the buyer face-to-face. I have paid ₦60,000 for one year , not to the estate’s account or that of the new owner’s, but to Mr Taiwo, only for our shops to be demolished. Now I bake outside in the open, borrowing space from another trader when it rains. I can’t sell drinks anymore because there’s nowhere to keep my freezer. My income has dropped badly.”

Another displaced trader, Mr. Olumide Adeleke, who managed to secure another shop close by for his barbing salon, said: “When I heard the property had been sold, I quickly arranged for this shop. It may not be as big as I wanted, but it is manageable. Many others weren’t that lucky, they are still stranded.”

Another resident, Rilwan,said: “Adeleye made efforts to cushion the traders’ losses. He asked them for account numbers to compensate them, but they refused. He also invited them through his lawyer to a meeting, yet they still refused to attend. What else was he supposed to do?.”