The Kogi State Government on Wednesday removed illegal structures at the Post Area on Murtala Mohammed, Lokoja, the state capital.
The operation which was carried out by the State Environmental Special Enforcement Unit of the Ministry of Environment, had structures, shanties, kiosks and shops knocked down.
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Some owners of the illegal structures were seen hurriedly parking their products to avoid being demolished with the structures marked for the exercise while others remained helpless as their structures were being brought down.
Some of them who spoke with our correspondent described the exercise as sudden, adding that there was no adequate notice from government for them to vacate the area.
Commenting on the exercise, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr.Omofaye Victor, explained that the exercise became imperative to allow free flow of traffic and security in the area.
He described as unacceptable, a development whereby activities of illegal artisans, food vendors and others in the area who littered the entire area with refuse and waste materials, began to consist eye-saw.
He said, “Illegal business operators like cloth sellers, food/fruits vendors and others were served a seven-day ‘Removal Notice’ by the state government to remove their property and vacate the entire street, the notice expired last week.”
Mr. Victor ,therefore, implored all illegal occupants on any of government lands/property to vacate them warning that it would no longer going to be business as usual across the state.
