The Kwara Government on Tuesday began the demolition of illegal structures in Tanke area of Ilorin, the state capital.

A  News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent,  who witnessed the demolition,  reports that no fewer than 500  illegal structures on setbacks were pulled down.

The Executive Secretary of the State Town Planning Authority, Mr Raimi Adeoti, told NAN on the sidelines of the exercise that  government was determined to  rid the state capital of illegal structures.

He said enough notice was given to affected  shop owners  to remove their containers and other structures which contravened   town planning laws.

Adeoti said owners of   illegal structures had been warned  since December 2012 to remove their wares,  with many  of them refusing to heed  the directive.

He also said  the organisation  placed  advertisements on radio and television  advising the traders to vacate the sites.

Many  of the traders were sighted salvaging their wares from the rubbles  created by the bulldozer.

Many of the shop owners  were also sighted weeping   as they watched  the bulldozer  crushing their shops.

Mr Moore Ezike, the owner of Moore Gas on Tanke road,  told NAN that state  officials gave them notice in December to shift their containers back from the  setback.

He said many of them  complied, adding that he was  surprised at the exercise.

Moore said about 18 cylinders were carted away from his shop by the officials of the Authority before he got to the shop.

Expressing sadness at the exercise,  Moore urged  government to consider compensating the traders whose goods were destroyed while  relocating those displaced.