The Edo State Government Taskforce on Public Lands and Property has pulled down illegal structures at Abuja Quarters, Second Ugbor, Benin City.

The buildings, sited directly under high-tension power lines, had become a haven for drug peddling, crime, and other illicit activities despite repeated government warnings.

Chairman of the Taskforce, Honorable Eugene Okoloise, said the government would not tolerate criminal hideouts on reserved lands. He disclosed that the site had been sealed off and would be reclaimed, warning that encroachers on government property risk arrest and prosecution.

The Managing Director of the Edo State Development and Building Control Agency, Imoisili Igabali, stressed that the land was never designated for habitation, noting that illegal occupants had defied multiple quit notices and converted the space into a criminal den.

On his part, the Director-General of the Edo State Electrification Agency, Saturday Egbadon, described residing under high-tension lines as unlawful and life-threatening.

The authorities maintained that the demolition is part of an ongoing statewide exercise to reclaim government reserves, adding that the area will be closely monitored to prevent a return of illegal occupants.