Lagos to Prosecute 38 Street Traders, 33 Miscreants

Chiemelie Ezeobi
The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) yesterday said it had concluded all arrangements to charge 38 arrested street traders and 33 miscreants to the Lagos State Environmental Courts for immediate prosecution.

According to the Head, Public Affairs Unit, Lagos State Task Force, Adebayo Taofiq, the 71 persons were arrested after operatives of the agency carried out an enforcement exercise.
He said the enforcement dislodged traders from hawking, selling and displaying wares on road setbacks/walkways in order to protects their lives and also  to pave the way for free flow of traffic along Ketu axis to Ikorodu roundabout.

The 38 arrested street traders were mainly women who hawked or displayed wares on road setbacks/walkways, thereby causing obstruction to free flow of traffic from Ketu to Ikorodu roundabout.
Also, the other 33 arrested miscreants were those who specialises in terrorising people living around Ketu, Owode-Elede, Ajelogo, Alapere and Mile 12, including those collecting illegal fees from motorists.

The enforcement exercise according to the Chairman of the state Task Force, Olayinka Egbeyemi, was to reiterate the commitment of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in providing a safer and conducive environment for the people of the state.

While the chairman enjoined members of the public particularly traders to desist from either hawking goods or displaying them on road setbacks/walkways, he however said the agency would not relent in  enforcing every dictate of both the state Road Traffic Laws of 2012 and state Environmental Sanitation Laws.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, after  he was briefed about those arrested, was said to have directed that they all be charged to court immediately.

One of the arrested traders at Mile 12, Mrs. Awawu Adeyemi, who disclosed that she has a shop inside the main market, claimed that customers no longer patronise them because of those outside hawking and selling on the road.

She said that prompted her to join them outside hawking and selling on the road in order to make sales.
Adeyemi however pleaded with the government to temper justice with mercy.