Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit, popularly known as task force at the weekend raided streets within Central Business District (CBD), including surroundings of the ‘African Shrine’, Alausa, Ikeja, arresting street urchins and drug users in the area.
Chairman of the agency, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, said the operation became imperative following complaints from members of the public about the criminal activities of hoodlums and environmental nuisance of illegal street traders around the shrine.
Egbeyemi disclosed that 28 miscreants and 15 illegal street traders were arrested at various locations around Alausa, hinting that the raid was also initiated due to the nefarious acts within the vicinity of the African Shrine, which presented a negative image to tourists and Lagosians.
According to Egbeyemi,
“The night enforcement operation was carried out on all roads around African Shrine, where sale of hard drugs like Tramadol, Codeine, Skunk, Weed, Illegal Mixed Liquor, assorted food and all sorts of consumable and non-consumable items were freely sold on the streets in defiance of security agencies and government authority”.
Egbeyemi maintained that the enforcement would be a continuous exercise in line with the vision of the present administration to rid the state of street urchins and criminals.
“The Lagos State government has vowed to sustain the security onslaught on all areas identified as criminal hideouts and hard drug outlets across the state, especially in the metropolis,”
He said.
One of the arrested miscreants, Tunde Babalola, who was caught with a bag of substance suspected to be Indian hemp, confirmed that he has been selling hard drugs for eight years, particularly around African Shrine in Ikeja.He said further that dealing in hard drugs is a lucrative business, adding that he realised an average profit of between N60,000 and N100,000 weekly from customers around Obalende, Akala, Mushin, Bariga and Ikeja.
Another arrested trader who simply identified herself as Mrs. Abike Adeyemi, disclosed that she paid N1,900 every week to a representative of Ikeja Local Government Area from the sale of ‘Skuchies’ and ‘hot drinks’ around the shrine.
The task force chairman noted that the Commissioner of Police, CP Zubairu Muazu, has directed that all those arrested be immediately charged to court.
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