KAI apprehends five suspects for collecting N100 from pedestrians along Lagos-Badagry Expressway
CITIZENS COMPASS –The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, apprehended five persons for allegedly collecting N100 from pedestrians before they were allowed to cross the road during rainfall.
A vital video had captured some people believed to be Area Boys forcing pedestrians to pay N100 around Trade Fair bus-stop during the downpour.
The video captured a flooded area with some road palliatives made of bags filled with sands for easier passage with the users being forced to part with N100 after use.
In the footage monitored by Citizens Compass, a man was threatening to seize a phone from a lady for capturing the moment in a video.
However, the lady was shouting in top of her voice that the man would be dealt with should he carry out the threat.
In the video, some pedestrians were on queue paying the compulsory N100 to the Area Boys.
The female voice said,”They are collecting N100 before one can use the passage, this is Trade Fair Bus-stop, Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
KAI in a statement made available to Citizens Compass said the exercise leading to the apprehension of the suspects was part of concerted efforts to rid the State of environmental infractions and ensure pedestrians’ safety.
“As part of concerted efforts to rid the State of environmental infractions and ensure pedestrians’ safety, the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI secured the arrest of a 5-man syndicate involved in the extortion of crossing pedestrians at the International Trade Fair Bus Stop in Lagos on Wednesday.
“According to the Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (retd), ‘‘we caught wind of the negative acts of these criminals hindering pedestrian activity at the popular Trade Fair bus stop via a viral video circulating on social media and we swung into action to arrest the five suspects involved, to serve them justice through the courts for the pain caused to Lagosians in this rainy season’’
“The Corps Marshal disclosed the identities of the apprehended suspects causing distress to Lagosians namely as Elisha Odunsi, M, 19, Muhammed Saidu, M, 20, Tunde Kazeem, M, 20, Musbau Habeeb, M, 26 and Muftau Ottun, M, 36 as they will be charged to court for prosecution.
“In the same vein, the KAI top man also revealed how three suspects were apprehended at Queens Street, Alagomeji, Yaba for accessing a building under government seal for criminal purposes, affirming that they would be charged appropriately before a competent court of jurisdiction.
“He equally admonished Lagosians to embrace the act of appropriate waste disposal by patronizing approved PSP operators just as he discouraged dumping refuse in drains, gutters and canals to prevent flooding in this rainy season.
“Advocating for pedestrians’ safety, Cole enjoined Lagos residents to make use of strategically-erected bridges in Lagos to cross highways as KAI operatives stationed at different operational beats in the State are on ground daily to apprehend defaulters for prosecution.”
