Rear Admiral Oladele Daji, the Commander of Operation Awatse, says Tarkwa-bay is a hideout for sea robbers and officially it is a non-residential area.
Daji disclosed these on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise daily.
Speaking concerning the eviction of Tarkwa-bay residents, Daji described this as a clearance operation code-named Operation Kuronbe (Yoruba word meaning Leave There).
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He described the eviction as impressive, stressing that “no casualty has been recorded as opposed to the information on social media.
He added that the clearance operation was needed because Tarkwa-Bay has turned to a hideout for sea robbers and pirates who freely operate due to lack of security presence in the area.
“If you look at the geography of Tarkwa Bay, it is located by the South West of the two major ports that we have in Lagos – the Tin Can Island Port and Apapa Port Complex.
“This area is open to the sea and also at the entrance of Lagos harbour. It is a very strategic port area in which criminals have taken advantage of the lack of (security) presence to perpetrate all sorts of activities.
“Also most of the (people behind) incidents of sea robbery and piracy along the waterways hide in Tarkwa Bay,” he said.
Daji who is also the FOC, Western Naval Command added that militants hide in Tarkwa-Bay before unleashing mayhem.
According to him, the area is officially non-residential, hence the need for the clearance operation.
“Just a few years ago, the militants who burnt the jetty through which vessels deliver products into NNPC facility at Atlas cove hibernated in Tarkwa-Bay before carrying out that dastardly act.
“Tarkwa Bay is non-residential, either by the Lagos State laws or physical planning or by the NPA which is holding the place in trust for the Federal Government is non-residential.”
Thousands were rendered homeless following the recent eviction of Tarkwa Bay residents. This led to an outcry on social media. See some of the tweets below…
Thousands of people who live in the #TarkwaBay area of Lagos state have been forced to leave their homes by the government and Nigerian Army.
There was no prior notice before the evacuation.
Do you know anyone that was affected? #UpdateswithRuki #tarkwabay #Lagos pic.twitter.com/aLgPsX96Fm
— Updates With Ruki (@updateswithruki) January 22, 2020
Displacing the poor in the violent manner seen in #OtodoGbame and lately #TarkwaBay is blatantly terrible Policy.
What Lagos needs is Slum Upgrade, not Gentrification in which the poor gets evicted for the benefit of the wealthy.
This wrong Policy tool is becoming too rampant.— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) January 28, 2020
very few people can get their things organised o a boat and moved to cms. the rest like myself are trapped with families and properties we can’t uninstall quickly under this swift eviction.#tarkwabay #tarkwabayeviction pic.twitter.com/TNcWixbzhn
— neec nonso (@neecnonso) January 21, 2020
Is this the change we asked for
Buhari
Rendering thousands of people homeless
This is inhuman #Tarkwabay pic.twitter.com/Qk7TR9GUj9— RABBIT🥰 (@emerald_stonez) January 21, 2020
Is this the change we asked for
Buhari
Rendering thousands of people homeless
This is inhuman #Tarkwabay pic.twitter.com/Qk7TR9GUj9— RABBIT🥰 (@emerald_stonez) January 21, 2020