KAI seals off Agbado Oke-Odo market over environmental infractions

CITIZENS COMPASS —The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI has enforced the closure of Agbado Oke-Odo market due to identified environmental infractions like street trading, hawking, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and lack of general hygiene.

Corps Marshal of the Agency, CP Gbemisola Akinpelu (retd) made this disclosure at the Command Headquarters, Bolade-Oshodi on Wednesday. 

According to her, ‘‘we received petitions and complaints from Lagos residents about the deplorable level of filth, environmental degradation at the Agbado Oke-Odo market area and our intelligence team investigate these claims which turned out to be true, resulting in the closure of the market till further notice and arrests of suspects for obstruction’’.

She said three suspects namely Taiwo Abeeb, M, 53, Ismaila Adeniji, M, 35, Akeem Kelani, M, 40, were arrested for obstructing and attacking operatives on lawful duty with dangerous weapons and ammunitions which resulted in a deadly stab wound on a KAI operative. She maintained that the suspects will be charged to court for onward prosecution. 

The retired Commissioner of Police emphasised the need for markets to maintain a high level of hygiene through appropriate dumping of refuse via approved PSP operators, adding that the setbacks, lay-bys of external market premises must not accommodate street traders and hawkers.  

In her final remarks, the Corps Marshal affirmed that street trading remains banned in the State as there will be no hiding place for street traders and hawkers as part of a renewed drive to enforce environmental laws.