One of the Lagos State popular School based in Ikorodu,Saint Margaret groups of schools, situated at number 26, NBC road, Ebute,Ikorodu, Lagos , established since 1982, 42 years ago. Today 5th of April 2024,carried out a protest and made a Clarion call to the Executive governor of the state, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu to wade in to stop the Lagos state Building Control Agency (LASBCA) who came with fully armed security and Touts for illegal demolitions of their school facilities henceforth.
Some of Damaged structures
The proprietor of the school, Pastor,Olusegun Alonge in the midst of teachers, parents, staff and the community during the protest cry out to governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu as Chief Lagos landlord to intervene on the attacks the Lagos building control agency under Arc. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki leadership to stop Illegal demolitions on Saint Margaret group of schools, the school established for over four decades on the property, narrated the levels of facility and integrity damages done to the school by the invasions of said agency without any prior notice about governmental information for payment or policy compliances whatsoever. According to the school Boss ,the school has since sealed and under lock after the illegal demolitions.
When probed if the school has complete building documentations that could resulted to the agency's visitation. He retorted they have a bag-ful loads of documents on all their building facilities from the Lagos state government.Pastor Alonge explains parts of steps taken after the incident was to visit the LASBCA's General manager Arc. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki's office who denied him any audience at the first visit. He also visited his office days later when he was walked out from the same GM's office with threats that if care not taken, he would order the school be leveled down by the building control agency and nothing could happen with boasting that he has Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu' backings in his activities.
27th March 2024
The Proprietor who was emotionally traumatised by the ugly incident hitherto as he address journalists made a Clarion call and appeal to Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu to intervene and reopen the School as he belief in Capacity of his government that protections of lives and properties is sacrosanct in his heart.
Some of the staff on duty in the school also described unethical method like kidnapper's or bandits operation the taskforce of the agency came into the school without any introduction of their Identity to the security men at the gate,while probing who they were,some of them started snapping and video-recording the school facilities without disclosing their Identity. Steps by some of the teachers and security men of the school to prevent this action met rebuttal. At that point according to the report,the taskforce on ground call for reinforcement of other security and touts who came with full force and started pulling down building and destroying several classroom facilities. The pupils who were at the middle of examinations in their various classrooms were violently sent out of the classrooms with threats to shoot anyone not cooperating with their orders,the teachers and little children were pursued into the main road outside the school premises.
In the process of these pandemonium,the pupils and kindergarten children had been in panic mode wailing seriously at the incidence of gun wielding personnel's and fierce looking touts accompanying them out of their school. Some of them were pointed gun at to leave the school according to the teachers on different placards with inscriptions appealing to the governor to reopen their school for operation.
Amidst the protest, Mr Lawani Dominion Abiola, Coordinator of the group of schools appealed to the governor to use his good office to rescue the school from the attack of the Building Agency, stated no notice of whatever intention was served the school for any purpose before the attack committed on 27th March 2024 around 2pm while students were still writing examinations papers. Noting,nothing less than 5 staff of the school were arrested and were wisked down to Badagry police station since the day of the attack in the school.
Some of the parents who incidentally witnessed the pandemonium on that day, Mr Obamude Omoniyi and Mrs Enny Jones, condemned the Gestapo approach of the agency,suggest more civilised method of operation as an enlightened agency in the twentieth century in Lagos State. Omoniyi narrated his continued ordeals in convincing his seven years old Son who has vowed vehemently never to return to the school or any other school again due to the traumatic encounters of the armed men to their school. In his word,he quoted the son verbatim 'Daddy I have been watching that kind of guns in the cartoon but never known anyone can bring such to our school to threaten us' so am not attending any school anymore since school was not safe again' the young lad screams.
The neighborhood on 27th March 2024 witnessed what we have not seen before in our lives, so said some of the community dwellers and business women on ground of the school protest, they described the incident like bandits operations as been heard on radio and newspapers pages. They made a candid appeal to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as responsible and responsive leader of the State to curb the excessive and unethical behaviors of the building Agency in Lagos state in order to stop smearing the name and good work the governor is noted for. The emotional mothers said.
The team of journalists at the protest visited the LASBCA's office at GRA Ikeja in order to balance their reports,met with the Director of Media,Mr Olaoye Olusegun who denied any information about the said operation by the headquarters,he show displeasure at the approach of the men,and comments it's statutory for taskforce to served the building owners before any enforcement ,but promised further investigation into the report and revert to the team by Monday 8th April at resumption of work,comments the media team also could go ahead with their publications with promise his office would react to them at due time.
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