The Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State on Thursday intensified its clampdown on illegal structures and shanties as it commenced a large-scale environmental enforcement exercise around the Orita Challenge axis of Ibadan.
The operation, which targeted makeshift settlements, roadside trading points, and unauthorized extensions, followed a one-month notice earlier issued to affected occupants. Many of the structures, according to the council, had become hubs for unlawful activities and posed serious threats to public safety and environmental health.
Chairman of Oluyole Local Government, Mr. Akeem Olatunji, said the exercise was part of the council’s broader agenda to restore orderliness and protect the wellbeing of residents in line with state and federal directives to curb emerging security threats. He stressed that the enforcement was not aimed at any particular group but at safeguarding the community.
“This operation is about ensuring a safer and healthier environment for everyone. It is not targeted at any tribe, religion, or class of people. We gave adequate notice, and what we are doing now is simply enforcing the law,” Olatunji said.
He commended security agencies for their full support throughout the exercise, noting that their presence ensured a peaceful and coordinated operation.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Challenge Division, Chief Olayinka Banjo, urged residents to cooperate with authorities and adhere strictly to environmental and security regulations. According to him, collective compliance is essential to sustaining orderliness and reducing crime in Oluyole.
The Director of Environmental Health Services for the local government, Sanitarian Florence Adeyinka, warned that the illegal structures posed grave environmental risks, including poor sanitation, blocked drainages, and increased disease outbreaks.
Residents were therefore advised to comply fully with the directive, as the council vowed that defaulters who attempt to rebuild or obstruct enforcement activities would be arrested.
