Oyo govt. demolishes five shops, seals up petrol station for violating...

The Oyo State Government on Thursday sealed up a petroleum station for violating the state’s environmental laws.

Also on Thursday, government agents demolished no fewer than five shops and a pub during the exercise.

The petroleum station was sealed up for violating the building regulations and failure to carry out the state’s weekly sanitation exercise.

The filling station located at Orita Challenge in Ibadan, the state capital, was also accused of accommodating a filthy drainage lane which environmental officers alleged exposed residents to health hazards.

The Director of Engineering and Beautification, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Moshood Adeola, led the enforcement team during the weekly environmental sanitation exercise.

“The disobedience of the shop owners to vacate the premises, being a set back for the road led to this demolition,” he said.

“Despite the abatement notices served on them for more than six months to vacate the premises, as the continued existence of the illegal structures constituted an environmental nuisance, they did not yield and we had to come and pull the structures down.

“Their offences range from noise and air pollution, evidence of open defecation accommodating illicit drug users within the environment and that is why those shops were pulled down.

“Despite the effort of Oyo State Government in maintaining a suitable and sustainable environment for all, some people still go ahead engaging in street trading and non-adherence to environmental laws.”

Mr Adeola said the government was forced to partially demolish the structures as a warning to members of the public.

He said the state government planned to establish mobile courts to try people caught violating environmental laws.

“The moment the state mobile courts go into operation, it will be instant judgement for violators,” Mr Adeola warned.