Multiple building collapses, Sanwo-Olu’s humbling, eight other events that shaped Lagos in 2022

A major incident in Lagos, southwestern Nigeria, usually makes headlines. And 2022 does not take a different path.

The year was a mix of happy experiences, sad stories, relief for commuters and more.

We present the top 10 news in Lagos in 2022 in no particular order.

1. Magodo Crisis: We have barely scratched the new year when the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Nigeria Police Force face at Magodo Estate in Lagos.

The day before, residents had protested against the police raiding their homes over a land dispute.

The governor, who is trying to intervene in the ongoing land crisis, met with the leader of the police team and instructed them to call their superiors who gave orders to attack the estate. The governor also asked the police and teams to vacate the plantation.

But the officer disclosed that he was only responding to instructions from his superiors (Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami) and had not been given any other instructions.

The officer also refused Mr. Sanwo-Olu’s directive to call his superiors. The officer even told the governor to call. Eventually, the governor was able to approach the police authorities in Abuja and the matter was resolved.

This event widened the call for a decentralized policing system.

2. Stop them: Many Nigerians were upset by the news, in February, of the disappearance of 22-year-old fashion designer Bamise Ayanwola after she boarded a BRT, a state-owned commercial bus.

A search is underway by the police. After a few days, her body was found. His family, friends and community mourned him. The incident has many people talking about security.

The BRT driver is facing trial for murder and rape.

3. Collapsed Building: One would think that after the Ikoyi building collapse in November 2021 that killed over 40 people, Lagos would have the least number of building collapses but the opposite is happening in a city of over 21 million people.

In 2022, building collapse is a common occurrence.

In May, eight bodies were found after a three-storey building collapsed in Ebute-Metta.

Another building in the Ago Palace Way area of ​​Lagos State collapsed on May 7.

August also recorded another building collapse that resulted in the death of two children.

September recorded two fatal building collapse accidents. The first killed six lives, the second killed four.

4: Plane Crash: In May, the internet was flooded with news of a plane crash in the country.

However, this is false.

Even the reliable news media along with many blogs published it but the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) denied the report.

The agency explained that in fact an aircraft was found in the area, but it was being transported to a different location, and was not the result of an accident.

5: Extrajudicial Killing: In May, David Imoh’s life was cut short after a mob attack. A horde of Okada riders kills the sound engineer.

Moreover, from other events in 2022, it seems that state actors have learned little from the EndSars protests, the national protests against police brutality.

In early December, Gafaru Buraimoh was shot dead by police officers from the Ajiwe police division in Ajah.

Raheem Bolanle, a lawyer, was also shot dead on Christmas Day by officers from the same police division. His death sparked renewed calls for police reform.

In the same month, one Stephen Alabi was reportedly shot dead by a police officer in Ikorodu.

6. Okada Prohibition: After the death of a sound engineer at the hands of a mob of motorcycle taxi operators, the government restricted the movement of okada riders to 10 of the 20 LGAs in the country.

Oshodi-Isolo, Ikeja Kosofe is among the 10 LGAs where okada is “totally banned” in Lagos.

Others are Surulere, Eti Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, Apapa, Shomolu, and Mushin

7. Build a TV: In August, Arise TV was trending for all the wrong reasons. The news channel topped the trending list because the news anchor, Rufai Oseni, broke traffic laws and insulted the police who arrested him.

After a back and forth, he was found guilty of a traffic violation and apologized on live TV.

8. Baba Ijesha and Doctor Olaleye: Weeks after Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James popularly called Baba Ijesha, was sent to jail for sexual assault in a year-long trial, popular doctor and cancer lawyer, Femi Olaleye, was remanded for alleged rape.

9. NDLEA Drug Bust: Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency, on September 18, raided a major warehouse in Solebo Estate in the Ikorodu area of ​​the country, where cocaine worth over N194 billion was recovered in what it called the “biggest single cocaine seizure” in its history.

10. Lagos Metroline: The state government has completed the first phase of the long-awaited 27 kilometers of light rail. The phase includes Mile 2 to the Marina, which is 13 kilometers.