Chinedu Eze
For several years, many Nigerians have encroached the premises of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and taken over pieces of land and developed structures.
Owing to this, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) have revealed that the illegal occupants have been in cat-mouse fight with the agency for many years. But it has vowed to destroy all structures in those areas, numbering about 2000 because it has realised that most security breaches at the airport are traced to the areas occupied by these land grabbers.
Security operatives at the airport said the areas occupied by the illegal occupants are the weakest and most porous areas of the airport and security cannot be fortified at the airport as long as it continues to serve as residents to people, many of whom gain access to the airport premises, including the airside from there.
THISDAY learnt that FAAN is currently working in collaboration with the Lagos State government to commence the demolition exercise.
FAAN said some of the houses at the Ajao Estate and Shasha areas of the airport were built close to the runway, while hundreds of such buildings have encroached into FAAN’s land.
Efforts by FAAN to dispossess the illegal occupiers of the structures in the past were not successful.
Many of the occupiers had approached different courts across the country to stop FAAN from carrying out its threat of demolition, but it was gathered that the efforts might be positive this time around as the management had involved the state government.
