The Lagos State Building Control Agency, (LASBCA), saddled with the statutory responsibility of enforcing the Building Control Regulations, has cleared the air on the recent allegations made by St. Margaret School in some sections of the media regarding alleged wrongful detention of their members of staff and sealing/demolition of structures in their school.
LASBCA categorically refuted all the allegations made by St. Margaret School, describing them as false baseless, unfounded and totally without merit.
A statement issued over the weekend by LASBCA explained that
St. Margaret’s School along Ebute Road, Ikorodu was visited by officials of the Agency on the 27th of March, 2024 for a routine monitoring exercise at about 12:48 pm to ascertain whether the renovation works found to have been carried out in the school premises comply with the regulatory provisions of the law.
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 had made a video recording and pictorial evidence of the infraction within the premises from the gate. However, when the School Administrator, by the name Mr. Daniel Sunday, arrived, he was very aggressive, rude and without listening to the officers started shouting and using foul language at them.
He seized the phones of the four officers containing the video and pictorial evidence. He later smashed and damaged one of the phones.
Mr. Daniel Sunday, also ordered the security men and some teachers to drag the officers into one of the rooms and lock them up. All four officers were assaulted, injured and detained in the room thereby obstructing the officers from carrying out their lawful duties within the school premises.
The General Manager of the Agency upon getting the report of the situation from the driver of the official vehicle, 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 organised 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 the school until issues were resolved.
It should be noted that at no point during the visit to the school premises were the officials of the Agency engaged in inappropriate behaviour or misconduct of any kind.
The School Administrator and those who were arrested were arraigned on the 28th of March, 2024 before a Special Offences Court sitting at Bolade, Oshodi on a five-count charge including assault, obstruction of public officers from carrying out their lawful duties and acts likely to cause breach of peace. The suspects were granted bail by the Court.
The Lagos State Building Control Agency remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding fairness, justice, and the rule of law in all its interactions and dealings.