Follow Us on Google
Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) were allegedly badly injured on Friday 6th of December, 2019, while carrying out enforcement on street traders along Queens Drive in Ikoyi, leaving three operational trucks damaged.
The exercise according to Adebayo Kehinde of LAGESC’s Public Affairs Unit, was part of the governor’s mandate to clear the state of all environmental nuisance and infractions such as street trading on walk ways/setbacks as well as erection of illegal shanties across the state. The operation was led by the Deputy Corps Marshal in charge of Operations, Mr. Ganiu Kazeem, and Deputy Corps Marshal, Discipline and Staff Welfare, Mr. Adeleke Adeeso.
It was gathered that during the exercise, staff of the Federal High Court who patronise the street traders obstructed the operatives as they attempted to dislodge the street traders who had earlier been given several notices to vacate the location.
Mr Kazeem explained that the team arrived at the scene of the incident at about 1:45 pm but were attacked by staff of the Federal High Court with the support of a private security personnel, hurling stones, iron rods, broken bottles, an action that left members of the enforcement team injured.
He said that the operation had nothing to do with the staff of the court, but alleged that the hawkers were paying rent to the private security of the Court thereby necessitating the intervention by court personnel.
The deputy corps marshal confirmed that some of suspects were arrested during the fracas, while the case was also immediately reported at the Ikoyi Police Station for further investigation, advising Lagosians to comply with the laws on street trading as the government would no longer tolerate the slightest attack on any enforcement personnel.
The injured enforcement officers according to him included Oyedokun Samson (driver), Iwatan Oluwa Seun, Riwatan Oluwatobi and Shipeolu Babatunde, who are currently receiving treatment while one of them who was stabbed in the neck is still in critical condition.
The Corp Marshal of the agency, CP Gbemisola Akinpelu (rtd) reiterated the determination of the agency to ensure that all the citizens in the state abide by the stipulated environmental regulations of the state, noting that nobody in the state is above the law, while warning people to desist from attacking enforcement officers out to carry their legal duties.
