Officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment have detained a man for illegally turning a residential building in the state’s Iju neighbourhood into an abattoir.
According to a statement issued on Monday, June 23, by Tokunbo Wahab, the state commissioner for environment and water resources, the suspect converted his home on Alfred Williams Street in Iju Station into a slaughterhouse after the Oko Oba Abattoir in Agege was shut down. The Oko-Oba Abattoir market was closed indefinitely by the Lagos state government on June 20 due to unsanitary and dangerous practices of its vendors.
Wahab said the illegal operation of the abattoir, which was allegedly conducted in unsanitary conditions, put the community members who had raised the alarm in danger.
In a post on his X (Twitter), Wahab said that the suspect had been arrested and the property had been sealed.
“Following reports from a concerned citizen, our enforcement team has taken immediate action at No. 12, Alfred Williams Street in Iju Station. The property owner had illegally converted his residence into an abattoir following the closure of the Oko Oba Abattoir, endangering the entire neighbourhood through unhygienic practices and profiting from this reckless operation.
The suspect is now in custody, and the premises have been sealed. This swift response demonstrates our zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of environmental violations, whether in designated facilities or residential areas.”
He encouraged locals to keep reporting unlawful activity via the appropriate channels and praised them for their alertness.
“To all Lagosians, your vigilance makes our work possible. Continue reporting illegal activities via designated means,” he added.
