The Lagos State Government has issued an urgent directive for the immediate evacuation of residents from the old block 3 section, Mopol 20 Barracks, Onigbongbo at Ikeja, citing concerns over the imminent collapse of the structure.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu explained that a team had assessed some parts of the structure and found them to be in a precarious condition.
Oke-Osanyintolu stated that the building and adjacent structures would also be evacuated immediately to prevent any loss of life or property.
“The Agency dispatched a response team to the location and the findings indicate that the building and those adjacent must be evacuated with immediate effect. We are conducting a response plan which comprises an assessment, safe and orderly evacuation and controlled demolition.
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“Under the watchful eye of the Babajide Olusola Sanwoolu administration, we will be carrying out this preemptive demolition action due to the precarious conditions of the building and possible secondary incidents that could occur if left unmanaged,” the statement partly read.
He, however, urged members of the public within the vicinity to remain calm and refrain from spreading misinformation on social media.
He also assured that the situation was being closely monitored and managed.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement in July, disclosed that the police were carrying out a comprehensive renovation of some police barracks in the state.
He noted that the renovation would be carried out in partnership with the state government.
The decision comes in the wake of recent building collapses in Lagos, prompting heightened scrutiny of aging structures across the state.
The police barracks, which house hundreds of officers and their families, is one of several aging buildings in Lagos identified as being in dire need of renovation or demolition.
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