Men of the task force…yesterday
The Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences
Enforcement Unit yesterday raided some black spots at the famous Oshodi
in Lagos arrested 223 suspected miscreants, including nine under-aged
and five women.The team which stormed Oshodi in the early hours, also removed illegal structures erected by recalcitrant street hawkers and roadside traders around the market.
Chairman of the Task Force, Olubukola Abe, a Superintendent of Police, said the raid was a follow-up to the sensitisation visit to the market by officials of the taskforce a week ago, as well as the stakeholders meeting organised by the Task Force to warn all street hawkers and traders to desist from carrying out their illegal activities around the market.
He said most of the suspected miscreants were arrested between 2am and 4am on the Oshodi Bridge between Anthony and Charity bus, stations.
Among those arrested were nine under-aged boys, 189 adults and five women.
The Task Force boss expressed concern about the under-aged boys who were out at such ‘ungodly hour,’ urging parents and guardians to monitor their children to prevent them being used as tools by criminals.
On the removal of shanties and extensions, the chairman said the state government had no choice but to enforce the “zero tolerance” for street-trading rule since the traders had remained recalcitrant and the taskforce would not fold its arms and watch such illegality continue unabated.
He warned that the exercise would be extended to other parts of the state where such act was being perpetuated.
According to him, the Oshodi exercise would be sustained.
A trader Bola Olakunle decried the Task Force action, saying most of them were petty traders.
“They have demolished the shops we rented at N500. We voted them in yet they are making life unbearable for us. They have been here since 20am, we did not have N8 million to rent a shop. At least, we do pay tax. There are lot of troubles in this Oshodi, the poor cannot afford such huge amount to rent a shop, we are all hustling. They should consider us. They should allow us allow to trade freely, we have children to take care of with the little we are making here,” she said.
Another trader, Aliyat Omolayo told The Nation that their goods had been taken away to Alausa.
She pleaded with the state government to return their goods.
Omolayo said: “They were moving from one place to another, goods were seized and taken to Alausa. Most of us don’t have money to buy shops because they are expensive, and the little we have, are being taken away by the government. This is where we make money to feed our children and send them to schools; we shouldn’t be treated like this.”
A distraught Aduke described the task force’s action as unacceptable.
She said: “The thing they did this morning was extraordinary; people were crying because of it; does the government want them to steal? The government should provide affordable shops for us to sell our goods. The reason why touts are everywhere is due to lack of social amenities and the poor are not treated well.”
It would be recalled that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode enjoined traders to immediately vacate the right of way to ease free flow of vehicular movement in the area.
The Governor, who walked through the stretch of Brown Street, Oshodi, said the road was germane to the economy of the area.
“Nobody should trade on this road henceforth and stop spreading your market on the road. I have seen what you experience on daily basis, that is why I took it upon myself to walk through Brown Street and I can assure you that work would commence within the next seven days,”, Ambode said.
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