7th April, 2024
By Isa Isawade
The Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has narrated how its officials were attacked and detained by the staff of St. Margret Group of Schools, Ikorodu.
The agency disclosed this on Saturday in a rejoinder to allegations by the parents and staff of St. Margret Group of Schools alleging detention of staff of the school and sealing or demolition of structures within the school premises by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency.
The agency denied the allegations and stated that, on the contrary, it was the school through its staff that physically assaulted its officials while on lawful duty.
The rejoinder which was signed by the agency’s spokesman, Olusegun Olaoye, stated that LASBCA is an agency of government saddled with the statutory responsibility of enforcing the Building Control Regulations in Lagos State.
LASBCA described the allegations made by the school as baseless, unfounded and without merit.
According to Olaoye, St. Magret School along Ebute Road, Ikorodu was visited by officials of the Agency on the 27th of March 2024 during a routine monitoring exercise at about 12:48 noon to ascertain the renovation works found to have been carried out in the school premises to ensure compliance with the regulatory provisions of the law.
Olaoye further narrated in the rejoinder as follows: “Upon getting to the gate of the school, officers of the Agency introduced themselves to the security guard at the gate and requested to see a management officer of the school. The security guard went in and a man who is referred to as the School Administrator came with him.
“Before the school administrator came in, officers were having a video recording and pictorial evidence of the infraction within the premises from the gate. The School Administrator (One, Mr. Daniel Sunday) came with aggression and without listening to the officers started shouting ‘What do you want! You are kidnappers!’ You are thieves and all sorts of unprintable names.
“He seized the phones from the four (4) officers and damaged one of the phones.
“He ordered the security men and some teachers to drag the officers into one of the rooms and lock them up. All the four officers were assaulted, injured and detained in the room and thereby obstructed the officers from carrying out their lawful duties within the school premises.
“The driver that drove the officers to the site made a distress call to the head office and raised alarm over the false imprisonment of officers by the School Administrator and some other officers of the school.
“The General Manager of the Agency upon getting the report, directed the enforcement team who were on an assignment at Etiosa to go to the School to rescue the detained officers. The officers were detained for over three hours until the enforcement team came with Police Officers to rescue them around 4:30 pm.
“When the enforcement team came to the premises, the School Administrator locked up everywhere and organized members of staff of the school to attack the team.
“The Policemen attached to the enforcement team had to arrest the School Administrator and some of the school’s members of staff who attacked them and sealed off the school until issues are resolved.
“It should be noted that at no point during the visit to the school premises was the officials of the Agency engaged in inappropriate behavior or misconduct of any kind.
“The School Administrator and those that were arrested were arraigned on the 28 March 2024 before a Special Offences Court sitting at Bolade, Oshodi for a five-count charge including assault, obstruction of public officers from carrying out their lawful duties and acts likely to cause a breach of peace. The suspects were granted bail by the Court.
“The Lagos State Building Control Agency remain steadfast in its commitment to upholding fairness, justice, and the rule of law in all its interactions and dealings.
“We trust that the truth will prevail through the proper channels of investigation and adjudication in this matter.”