Lamentations as Lagos demolish Bar, Kuramo beaches
For over forty years of
operation and making
a living out of social vices anybody could think that occupants and fun lovers may have gone to relax at the Victoria Island Bar Beach and the Kuramo Beach. But they went home disappointed on Wednesday when stern looking armed security officers drawn from the Lagos State anti-crime outfit, Governor’s Monitoring Team (GMT) cordoned off the entire area and ordered all occupants and operators to leave as they demolished all the structures in the whole of bar beach.
“They did not give us any notice. Just this morning at about 4.00am these mobile policemen just started to harass us asking us to pack out all our properties and pulling down all the buildings.”
These are the words of one of the victims whose shed was located in Kuramo Beach, Mrs. Sadia Mudasiru amidst tears as she spoke with our correspondent.
Prior to the demolition by the state government, the Bar Beach was known to be the hideout for all criminal activities one can think of in the metropolis, from prostitution to armed robbery and drug addiction or trafficking.
“We are here to assist the state government in trying to bring sanity into the beach. Bar Beach has been in the hands of illegal operators who were not doing the right things. Such as drug addicts, prostitution and also being used as protection for armed robbers.”
Hitherto, there had been several complaints that criminals have turned the Kuramo Beach to a hideout. Drug addicts and drug pushers are said to be using the area as hideout to perpetrate their evil deeds. Prostitution is on the high side particularly among the teenagers who are either dropouts from schools or students of higher institutions, cultists from various universities and polytechnics are said to have turned the place into a place they plan reprisal attacks on their fellow students.
Recently some foreign investors were said to have been robbed around Ikoyi area, when the police were alerted and went after them, they were pursued into the Kuramo Beach and never arrested. It had been reported on several occasions that children between the ages of 12 and 16 are being camped in the beach for either prostitution or for onward transportation to other countries where they are engaged in prostitution.
But on Wednesday, August 11, 2004, all these social vices were put to an end when the state government marched security agents into the place and rendered all inhabitants numbering over 4, 000 homeless and destroyed over 1,000 sheds in the process.
The development might not be unconnected with the directives given by the state governor, Bola Tinubu to the state Waterfront and Tourism Development Corporation to rid the place of hoodlums and illegal structures. It was gathered that some men, allegedly led by one Bakare Ibrahim had invaded the beach three months ago and sacked the management of the Eko Beaches and Tourism Promoters Association that was hired by the tourism agency to manage activities at the place.
The people according to investigations allegedly claimed to be operating under the aegis of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and mandated to continue with the management of the beach because the place belongs to the Federal Ministry of Works.
Confirming the development, head of corporate affairs of the LSWTDC, Muyiwa Ayo-Vaughan and the public relations officer of the agency, Bashir Agunloye said the corporation decided to carry out the operation in order to rid the place of hoodlums.
Ayo-Vaughan said since three months ago when the men who claimed to be from FERMA took over the management of the beach, several cases of criminal activities like prostitution, drug abuse and armed robbery are being recorded on daily basis.
But in his words the general manager of LSWTDC, Prince Adesegun Oniru said those who came to hijack the place from the original operators are hoodlums who claimed to be agents of FERMA but are not.
Ayo-Vaughan said the state government which has been managing the place since 1986 decided to restore sanity following the declaration of the minister of works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, last week that he did not approve of the activities of the so called FERMA boys who were extorting money from innocent people. He maintained that the state government since it took over the control of the beach management in 1986 had carried out many developmental activities there especially when the current minister of Works, served as the permanent secretary of the ministry which is supervising the affairs there then.
“When Chief Ogunlewe was the PS we did projects worth over N25million at that time including the fencing of the place, building of a police post, erection of mobile toilets and construction of paving stones from the NITEL end of Ahmadu Bello Way to the Adetokunbo Ademola junction.”
Prince Oniru in his own words said the federal government was only involved in the sand filling and replenishing of the place whenever there was ocean surge because it was the activities of the Nigeria Ports Authority, which is owned by it that is causing the problems.
LSWDC boss explained that governor Tinubu decided to take the bull by the horns when he introduced the multi-million dollar multi-purpose tourism project aimed at transforming the place when he discovered that an average of N800 million was being spent every three years by the federal government to sand-fill the place any time there was ocean surge.
He said a new company, which has been given license to do so, 7stars Nigeria Limited, would in the mean time manage the place, pending the execution of the project.
Some of the victims who spoke with our correspondent lamented the hardship they will go through with the demolition: “we spent a lot of money on this place. We obtained a form from the tourism board for N2, 500 and N1000 for ground rent. We are now paying N40, 000 per year,” lamented Mrs. Sadia Mudasiru who claimed to have been in the place since 1991.
Mary Aruna who sells fairly used dresses at the beach amidst tears said she lost a lot of money during the demolition, adding that her husband has no job: “government should please help us so that we can come back to this place.”
Another victim Amozu Roseline from Republic of Benin said she lost over N75, 000 when last week some men came to burned down their sheds. According to her, she paid N35, 000 for the land, took N50, 000 to build the shop and pays N10, 000 every month.
Many of the people who spoke with us denied ever engaging in prostitution or drug abuse. According to them they are doing their legitimate business of buying and selling.
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