The Anambra State Joint Taskforce on Illegal Structures on Wednesday, pulled down several illegal attachments and structures in Ogbaru, Anambra East, and Oyi Local Government Areas of the state.
The exercise was conducted by a team led by officials of the State Physical Planning Board, members of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, the OCHA brigade, and security agents.
They had first arrived at Ogbaru, where they stopped the action of a developer indiscriminately erecting a structure, said to be a factory on an unapproved land.
The task force also demolished an illegal structure at Abata Nsugbe, built without mapping out the required distance from the road.
The exercise also witnessed demolition at the Azu Ogbunike, where another developer was erecting perimeter fencing on the access road, thereby causing difficulty for other landlords to access their buildings.
Speaking at the end of the exercise, the leader of the task force and Chairman of the State Physical Planning Board, ANSPPB, Barr. Chike Maduekwe said the government of Prof Chukwuma Soludo, in its avowed commitment to building a livable and prosperous homeland, will sustain enforcements and development control operations, until developers learn to adhere to the state building codes.
According to him, the Board has made its services available in all LGAs of the state, to ensure that developers have the necessary assistance to do the right thing, but regretted that impunity has continued to thrive despite government efforts.
He warned developers of illegal structures to desist from testing the resolve of the state government, adding that prosecution of defaulters will soon commence.
On the buildings demolished during the exercise, Bar Maduekwe revealed that the developers had been severely warned to stop, but they remained adamant and went on erecting the structures, which is contrary to the laws of the State.
“I want to appeal to developers in the State to support the government in transforming the face of physical infrastructure in the State, by adhering to the building codes.
“It costs the government a fortune to enforce these demolitions and it is also right to state that the Soludo administration takes no delight in demolishing structures.
“But, because it is committed to building a livable and prosperous homeland, Mr Governor has said that these illegalities must stop.
“Our people must know that aside from defacing the environment, these illegal structures built without approval, can lead to the death of inhabitants and this is what we as a government, wish to avoid,” he emphasized.
