By Esther Onyegbula
Tension is brewing in the Surulere area of Lagos State as residents of Natufe Estate and its environs defied torrential rains on Saturday to protest the alleged construction of a cemetery within their community.
The protest, which unfolded on a vast site off Babs Animashaun Road in the Bode Thomas axis, drew dozens of concerned homeowners, elders, and families who claim the project poses a direct threat to their health and environment.
Chanting slogans such as “No cemetery in Natufe!” and brandishing placards, the protesters stormed the construction site, an expansive plot bordered by homes, a school, and a church, demanding an immediate halt to the project they described as “illegal and life-threatening.”
At the forefront of the protest was Alhaja Omolabake Aminat Braimoh, Chairperson of the Nature/Animashaun Community Development Association (CDA), who alleged that the developer, identified as Olumide Amure, had previously attempted the same project over two years ago but was stopped following community resistance. She claimed construction resumed secretly during the recent Eid holiday.
“We noticed he has resumed work, working day and night, ignoring our earlier protests. He plans to build an adult cemetery here and a children’s cemetery about three blocks away. This is a purely residential area. We use borehole water. A cemetery will contaminate our groundwater and expose us to disease,” Braimoh said.
She added that formal petitions had been sent to the Chairman of the Coker-Aguda Local Council Development Area (LCDA), and more would be submitted to other relevant authorities, urging the state government to intervene.
“We’re following due process,” she said. “We are not lawless people. But this is our home, and we will not sit back and watch it turned into a burial ground.”
Supporting her claims, former CDA Chairman, Mr Olarenwaju Olaniyan, recalled that Amure’s previous attempt was fought from the local level to the state government. “We stopped him before. He came back now, allegedly with a permit, but we have our doubts,” Olaniyan said.
“I have lived here for more than 50 years. We rely on boreholes. Any burial activity here will poison our water. That’s not just irresponsible, it’s dangerous,” he said, adding that 11 petitions were sent to various authorities the first time the project was proposed.
Olaniyan directly appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, insisting he believed the governor would never approve a cemetery in a residential area. “Mr. Olumide Amure, this is not personal. But what you are doing is a public health threat. You don’t live here. Why do you want to bury people where others live?” he asked.
The protest also drew support from local government representatives. The Councillor representing Natufe/Animashaun Ward confirmed that no official approval had been presented to the council and promised to escalate the matter.
“A cemetery in that location is completely inappropriate. I’ve received their complaint, and I intend to take it forward to the appropriate bodies,” the Councillor said.
Efforts to obtain a response from the developer have so far been unsuccessful. When contacted on Saturday, Mr. Amure requested time to respond, asking when the reporter planned to publish the story. As of 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, he had yet to provide a statement, and a follow-up message to his phone was unanswered.
The residents insist that they will continue peaceful protests and legal efforts until construction on the site is stopped. Meanwhile, public health and urban planning experts have warned that improperly sited cemeteries can contaminate groundwater, especially in densely populated areas reliant on boreholes.
The Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources is yet to issue an official position on the development.
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