Authorities in Nigeria’s Lagos State have shut 70 churches and 20 mosques in an attempt to reduce high noise levels.
About 10 hotels, pubs and club houses were also closed, officials said.
Some estimates put Lagos’ population at around 20 million, creating a constant background of noise – from the blaring of car horns, to the Muslim call to prayer and loud singing in churches.
The state government has vowed to make the city, the biggest in Africa, noise-free by 2020.
In August, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LEPA) closed 22 premises after residents complained about noise emanating from them.
Nigerians are extremely religious, with a large number of evangelical churches operating in Lagos.
Christians form the majority in the city.
