Lagos to enforce street trading ban

As part of efforts to implement the law against street trading, the operatives of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) Brigade, the law enforcement unit of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment, on Tuesday, clamped own on illegal street traders and hawkers obstructing free flow of vehicular movement along major roads and highways in Lagos.

Speaking on the enforcement operation, the KAI Marshal General (KMG), CSP Jimoh Amusat (rtd.) reiterated the determination of the present administration to enforce the law and intensify the on-going campaign against the illegal act, vowing that a situation where illegal street traders and hawkers defy the order of the State Government would not be tolerated any longer.

He maintained that tough action would be taken against present and future offenders caught in its renewed efforts at combating the menace in the metropolis, imploring all residents to support and cooperate with the State government in its efforts to uphold the law and protect the lives of the citizenry.

The government, he added, has reaffirmed its position to prevent another incident similar to that which occurred in Maryland area of the State, where a street trader lost his life while fleeing from personnel of KAI and LASTMA on law enforcement duties and the subsequent destruction of many BRT buses estimated at N139million by infuriated members of the public.

In the wake of the incident, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode condemned the BRT destruction in strongest terms and restated that the law banning street trading and hawking in the State would be fully enforced, adding that the law stipulates six months jail term or ₦90,000 fine for both buyers and sellers.