KAI arrests 1,032 for crossing highways, 165 miscreants, others

CITIZENS COMPASS –The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI, says it has arrested and prosecuted a total number of 1,886 defaulters for environmental offences.

These comprises illegal traders, street traders, highway crossing defaulters, environmental polluters and cart pushers. 

The Honorable Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab disclosed this on weekend, at the Lagos State Government Y2024 Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa.

The Commissioner while rendering accounts of his stewardship as the supervising commissioner of all Agencies charged to exhaust the larger mandate of the Ministry reeled out the scorecard of high points recorded in past year, with KAI being singled out for praise in environmental enforcement as part of its mandate which is geared towards promoting a cleaner and healthier environment in the State  

According to him, “The Agency arrested a total of 1,886 people comprising illegal traders, street Traders, environmental polluters and cart pushers who were prosecuted according to the 2017 Lagos State Environmental Protection Management Law. 

“The Agency also ensured that perishable food items and goods confiscated during its several enforcement raids were donated to orphanages, motherless homes and the needy as prescribed by the law. 

“The environmental enforcement agency of the Ministry known as KAI has been in operation to complement the functions of other agencies in Environment by ensuring adherence to the laws on sanitation”.

Speaking about the recent strides recorded with regards to removal of infractions on pedestrian bridges and mass arrests of environmental defaulters, since the new leadership of the Agency assumed office early in the year, the Commissioner extolled the virtues of Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (retd) saying, “Following the enforcement of the use of pedestrian bridges, 1,032 persons were arrested for crossing the highway and failure to use pedestrian bridges,165 miscreants and squatters on pedestrian bridges were also dislodged and the bridges cleaned up. 

“The Agency in collaboration with the Lagos State Taskforce embarked on the dislodgement of traders displaying their wares for sale on the walkways, lay-bys, and government setbacks and the removal of all major infractions at Orile and Abule-Egba axis of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway while sanity is regularly sustained by men of the Agency in other locations such as Oshodi , Ikorodu and other areas of the state.”

Highlighting the necessities of inter-agency cooperation towards activating achieving the environmental mandate of Mr. Governor in making Lagos habitable for all, the Commissioner also revealed that the Agency in conjunction with the Special Task force effected the clearing of the rail tracks and  the demolition of more than 500 shanties and illegal structures occupying Apongbon Under bridge, Lekki, Victoria Island, Agege, Obalende and the  axis of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

Mr. Wahab finally highlighted the drastic reduction in street hawking recorded across major highways while clearing of environmental nuisance as well as sustenance has been a continuous process at various Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) Parks making transportation easy for the citizenry, “The KAI /LAGESC operatives in conjunction with the State Task Force on Special Offences also cleared the Ijora Causeway underbridge, Apongbon Underbridge, Obalende Underbridge which have become abode to undesirable elements who posed security risk to the state and the clearing of  Lagos Coastal Road at Maiyegun  Estate, Jakande preparatory to the commencement of the construction of the Lagos Calabar Coastal road”.