The Ogun State Ministry for Physical Planning has demolished the scavengers’ colony in Kara, Ogun State.
A bulldozer demolishing shanties at the Kara cattle market along the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway by the Ogun state government.
The makeshift houses built by the scavengers along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway have been described as an eyesore in the area.
The demolition exercise started on Monday and was still in progress as at time of filing this report. The process has rendered homeless, scores of scavengers, who reside and do business at the border settlement with Lagos state.
It was gathered that the Ogun State Ministry for Physical Planning embarked on the project in a bid to give the site and its vicinity a new look; a step that has been applauded by concerned citizens in the area.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning, Alhaji Bayo Faari, described the project as "an effort towards making the environment better in Ogun State.
Besides, there are security and environmental challenges that the place poses." One of the displaced scavengers who identified himself as Ibrahim said that he has been residing at the settlement for eight years.
He said that the location was initially a refuse dump site before it transformed to a colony for scavengers.
"The government said everybody should leave. They had told us before, but nobody left until yesterday when they came with bulldozers to destroy our shanties," Ibrahim said.
He added that while the government’s demolition and clearing exercise continues, his colleagues have been urged to remove their valuables and vacate the site permanently within a week.
On Tuesday morning, only a few scavengers were seen picking and moving their valuables from the dump site.
