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Today, on April 5th, 2024, Saint Margaret Group of Schools, located in Ikorodu, Lagos, carried out a protest. The School was established 42 years ago, in 1982, at number 26, NBC Road, Ebute, Ikorodu. During the protest, they made a clarion call to the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. They requested his intervention to halt the actions of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), who arrived with fully armed security personnel and unauthorised individuals, commonly known as touts, to prevent any further illegal demolitions of their school facilities.
The Proprietor of the School, Pastor Olusegun Alonge and 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 reason prior notice about governmental information for payment or policy compliances whatsoever.
When asked if the school possessed complete building documentation that could have prompted the agency’s visit, he replied affirmatively, stating they had a collection of documents for all their building facilities. Pastor Alonge further explained that one of the actions taken after the incident was visiting the office of the LASBCA’s General Manager, Arc. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki. However, he was denied an audience during the initial visit. Subsequently, he revisited the office days later, only to be escorted out by the same General Manager with threats. The General Manager warned that he would instruct the building control agency to downgrade the school if precautions were not taken. He boasted that he had the support of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu in his activities.
The Proprietor, who was emotionally traumatised by the ugly incident hitherto as he addressed journalists, made a Clarion call and appealed to Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu to intervene and reopen the school. He believes in the Capacity of his government and holds the protection of lives and properties sacrosanct in his heart.
During the incident, some staff members on duty at the school described their tactics as similar to those used by kidnappers or bandits. The agency’s task force entered the school premises without identifying themselves with the gate security personnel. When questioned about their identity, some task force members began taking photos and videos of the school facilities without revealing who they were.
Efforts made by teachers and security personnel to prevent this unauthorised action were met with resistance. According to the report, the task force on site then called for additional security personnel and unauthorised individuals, who arrived in large numbers and began demolishing buildings and damaging several classroom facilities.
As this was happening, students who were taking exams in their respective classrooms were forcefully evacuated, with threats of violence towards anyone who did not comply with the orders. Teachers and young children were chased onto the main road outside the school premises.
In the process of this commotion, the pupils and kindergarten children had been in panic mode, wailing seriously at the incidence of gun-wielding personnel and fierce-looking touts accompanying them out of their school. Some of them pointed guns to leave the school, according to the teachers, on different placards with inscriptions appealing to the governor to reopen their Schools 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 March 27th 2024 around 2 pm while students were still writing examinations papers, nothing less than five staff of the school were arrested and whisked down to Badagry police station on the day of the attack on the school.
Some of the parents who incidentally witnessed the commotion on that day, Mr Obamude Omoniyi and Mrs Enny Jones, condemned the agency’s Gestapo approach, suggesting a more civilised method of operation as an elite agency of Lagos State. Omoniyi narrated his continued ordeals in convincing his 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 at their school. In his words, he quoted the son verbatim: ‘Daddy, I have been watching that kind of gun in the cartoon but never known anyone can bring such to our school to threaten us’, so I will not attend any school anymore since school is not safe again.
On March 27th, 2024, the neighbourhood experienced an unprecedented event, according to some community residents and local businesswomen who were present during the school protest. They also described the incident as operations carried out by bandits, as reported in radio broadcasts and newspapers. Making a heartfelt appeal, they urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, known for his responsible and responsive leadership, to intervene and address the excessive and unethical conduct of the building agency in Lagos State. These emotionally affected mothers expressed their concerns about tarnishing the governor’s reputation and the positive work he is known for.
The journalists at the protest visited the LASBCA’s office at GRA Ikeja to balance their reports. They met with the Director of Media, Mr Olaoye Olusegun, who denied any information about the operation by the headquarters. He showed displeasure at the approach of the men and commented it’s statutory for a task force to serve the building owners before any enforcement, but promised a further investigation into the report and revert to the team by Monday, April 8th, at the resumption of work, and also commented that the media team can also go ahead with their publications with the promise that his office would react to them in due time.
