CITIZENS COMPASS—The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, said that a Lagos Magistrate Court sitting at Bolade-Oshodi have apprehended and subsequently convicted 17 miscreants for converting pedestrian bridges in Lagos to sleeping areas and causing intentional damage to polycarbonate roofing sheets meant to protect pedestrians from sunshine and rain when using the bridges for their safety in the stead of crossing highways.
Corps Marshal of the Agency, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (rtd) disclosed this at the Agency’s Command Headquarters, Bolade-Oshodi.
According to him, ‘‘While it is evident to extol the successes of our enforcement operation in recent weeks against criminal elements causing hindrance to pedestrians, we consolidated on our drive by arresting 17 miscreants who damaged polycarbonate roofing sheets meant to shield pedestrians from sunshine and rain thereby turning these materials into makeshift beds for sleeping which is a clear infraction on public utilities’’.
Cole further highlighted that the 17 suspects who have since been convicted, were arrested around the Dopemu, Onilekere, Airport road and Ikeja Along pedestrian bridges of the State. He revealed the names of the suspects as Kazeem Aliu, M, 36, Solomon Ikechukwu, M, 21, Babatunde Peter, M, 22, Ajayi Samuel, M, 21, Isa Ibrahim, M, 40, Useni Abdullahi, M, 52, Ayuba Rahman, M, 20, Emmanuel Samuel, M, 21, Sani Wasiu, M, 28, Uzoagba Chijioke, M, 26, Taofik Fabowale, M, 31, Ogbede Esther, F, 35, Precious Gabriel, F, 29, Akeredolu Femi, M, 35, Sodiq Oladosu, M, 20, Sunday Oyeniran, M, 21, and Oyebo Imole, M, 21 who were arraigned before Senior Magistrate C.K Tunji Careena (Mrs.) of the Lagos State Special Offences (Mobile Court) sitting at Bolade-Oshodi on a single charge bordering on the destruction of government property as they were sentenced to a month imprisonment without the option of fine.
The KAI Boss expressed delight with the judgement as he added that it would serve as deterrents to others to desist from sabotaging government property for their frivolous gains which stands in defiance to the State’s Criminal and Environmental Laws.
Underscoring the need for Lagosians to desist from street trading, Cole warned traders to refrain from displaying their wares for sale in traffic, on gutters, setbacks, road verges, medians, kerbs just as he implored Lagos residents to dispose refuse properly via approved PSP-operators.
