According to a statement from the Kwara State Government X Handle, the Kwara State Geographic Information Service (KW-GIS) has announced plans to dismantle the Crystal corner shops due to recent discoveries indicating a significant breach of the land use approval granted to the owner on March 22, 2013. The approved land use was specifically designated for a commercial "car park only," as outlined by KW-GIS in a statement released on Sunday.

KW-GIS further highlighted that the unauthorized construction of the Crystal corner shops poses hindrances to urban planning, road expansion, and environmental conservation, all of which are integral elements of the government's urban renewal agenda.

“It is trite to say that a land allotted for the purpose of a car park cannot and should not become corner shops which it became overnight," it said.

"Importantly, the land was originally designed as a green area (a garden) where civil servants, pensioners, and members of the public relaxed at the new state secretariat complex."

The agency said tenants occupying the shops have been asked to remove their goods, adding that the ongoing urban renewal programme is in the best interest of the public.

The programme is neutral to affiliations as many defaulting properties had earlier been removed for similar reasons, and it will be unfair to give preferential treatment to any structures above the larger interest of the public, it added.