The Lagos State Government has sealed off a construction site intended for a cemetery in the Bode Thomas area of Surulere, following strong opposition and protests from residents of the Natufe/Animashaun community. Locals raised alarm over potential environmental and health hazards, saying the project posed serious risks to public safety.
Despite heavy rain, residents staged a peaceful protest on Saturday morning, voicing their disapproval of the project. Many carried placards with inscriptions such as “No Cemetery in Our Community” and “Protect Our Health.” They argued that the burial ground’s proximity to their homes, a church, and a nearby school could contaminate borehole watertheir primary source of drinking water and endanger the entire neighbourhood.
The demonstrators accused the project’s developer, identified as Olumide Amure, of ignoring previous objections and resuming construction without approval or consideration for community welfare.
In response, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, confirmed that the government had intervened to halt the development.
“The burial ground site has been sealed, and no such project will be allowed there. The residents have nothing to worry about,” Omotoso stated in a release on Saturday.
Community leaders commended the government’s swift action, recalling that this was not the first time the developer had attempted to build a cemetery in the area. Mrs. Omolabake Braimoh, Chairperson of the Natufe/Animashaun Community Development Association (CDA), said residents had resisted a similar attempt two years ago.
“He tried it before, and we stopped him. Now he’s back, working day and night. We even heard he plans to create two cemeteries, one for adults here and another for children nearby. Our boreholes are our only water source, and this project will contaminate them,” she warned.
Braimoh revealed that the CDA had already petitioned the Coker-Aguda Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and would continue to reach out to relevant state agencies to ensure the site remains sealed.
Former CDA chairman Mr. Olanrewaju Olaniyan corroborated her account, saying that during his tenure, the same developer was stopped after residents escalated the matter to state authorities.
“We have documents from the previous intervention. I don’t believe Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would ever approve such a project,” he said.
Olaniyan emphasized that establishing a cemetery within a densely populated residential zone would pose grave public health risks.
“Once burials begin, the groundwater will be polluted, and everyone will be affected. This isn’t development, it’s a health disaster waiting to happen. The community will resist it again,” he vowed.
When contacted for comment, Mr. Amure said he would respond later but had yet to issue a statement as of the time this report was filed.
Government officials reiterated that the site would remain sealed pending further investigations, stressing that no cemetery development would be permitted in the residential area.
