Lagos seals a number of unlawful reclamation tasks on Ikota River off Orchid Street 

The Lagos State Authorities over the weekend sealed a number of unlawful reclamation tasks and issued stop-work orders on actions narrowing the Ikota River round Partibons Properties Property and Bee-Forth Property Part II off Orchid Street, Lekki.

Commissioner for Surroundings and Water Sources, Tokunbo Wahab, who led the enforcement group, mentioned the motion adopted studies of people reclaiming components of the river and erecting unlawful buildings on the market to unsuspecting consumers.

The disclosure was made in a press release posted on the Lagos State Authorities’s official X account on Monday, the place Wahab described the actions as dangerous to the ecosystem and a significant explanation for flooding within the space.

He defined that the unlawful reclamation had blocked important drainage techniques, together with Methods 156 and 157, which channel stormwater into the lagoon.

“The Lagos State Authorities over the weekend issued a right away seal and cease work order for unlawful reclamation actions to slender and scale back the scale of the Ikota River round Partibons Properties Property/Bee-Forth Property  Part II off Orchid Street within the Lekki space of the State.  

“The Commissioner for Surroundings and Water Sources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab gave this directive whereas talking with the media after an inspection tour of the world, saying the unlawful actions ongoing within the space are heart-wrenching as a result of some people have intentionally chosen to destroy the ecosystem supplied by nature,” the assertion learn partially. 

Wahab confused that Lagos, being a coastal metropolis bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, lagoons, and rivers, couldn’t solely forestall flooding however may solely mitigate it by way of resilient and sustainable measures. He warned that the state wouldn’t tolerate actions that compromise pure drainage paths and vowed that offenders would face authorized sanctions.

He added that car sellers working alongside the hall had been served abatement notices on September 26, 2025, for extending past their permitted momentary websites underneath high-tension energy strains and encroaching on wetlands, which battle with the Lagos Inexperienced Rail Line challenge’s grasp plan.

What it is best to know

The Lagos State Authorities’s newest enforcement aligns with its flood management and wetland safety technique. Over the following 24 months, it plans to combine property lakes, canals, and pumps right into a Blue-Inexperienced Community to retailer and regularly launch rainwater, lowering flash floods.

These efforts kind a part of its long-term flood mitigation plan, which prioritizes wetland restoration and up to date constructing guidelines requiring on-site water retention techniques in new developments.