The Lagos State Taskforce, in its bid to rid the state of indiscriminate display and sale of goods on highways, road sides, and streets, carried out a raid across various parts of the metropolis today.
The operations, which were supervised by the Chairman of the Agency, CSP Shola Jejeloye, were in adherence to the ban on street trading imposed by the State Government.
Jejeloye revealed that multiple notifications were delivered to traders and even to those at the Oshodi train track, where the Agency conducted a sensitization on the 23rd of May 2023 to stop the traders from returning to the tracks, but all the efforts of the agency were futile.
“Our warnings have been sent out to them for as long as two years, but they don’t listen. We served notices at Fagba, where some people built shanties and kiosks from Fagba all the way to Pen Cinema and Isokoko, thereby shortchanging motorists and pedestrians who should enjoy free movement along that axis. It is completely unfair to all Lagosians, and we will make sure that they are all cleared out with immediate effect”.
The Chairman said that while both the buyer and seller responsible for these activities should be arrested, only the goods found on the rail tracks were seized. He, however, asked market leaders to come down to the Agency’s headquarters for a roundtable dialogue to establish a lasting remedy to put an end to this scourge.
In the same vein, the Taskforce performed an all-night raid up until this morning beneath Apongbon Bridge, where traders were instructed to abandon the area in order to prevent any future environmental accidents that could result in the loss of lives and property, as well as imperil Lagosians’ safety and security.
Jejeloye stated that the action was required following the reopening of Eko Bridge after it had been closed for 15 months due to a fire breakout caused by the activities of traders who were carelessly crowded under the Bridge.
He noted that the Agency needed to take these steps in this area and other critical locations where street vendors’ activities constituted a big threat to the environment and the general well-being of Lagosians.
He urged all traders to shift their operations to the complex offered by the Lagos State Government and to refrain from engaging in activities that are detrimental to the State.
“Achieving Mega City status as enshrined in the Themes Agenda of the State Government is a collective effort, and all hands must be on deck to ensure its sustenance. We will carry out these enforcement exercises on a daily basis to ensure we achieve our aim, and anyone found going against the law will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly,” He concluded.
