Operatives of Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Taskforce) over the weekend raided all streets within Central Business District, including surroundings of the ‘African Shrine,’ Alausa, Ikeja and arrested a total of 28 miscreants and 15 illegal street traders during the operation.
The Task Force Chairman, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, disclosed this at the weekend in a statement made available to newsmen by the agency’s spokesperson, Mr. Taofiq Adebayo, saying the traders were allegedly involved in selling hard drugs such as tramadol, codeine, skunk, weed, Illegal mixed liquor, among others.
According to Egbeyemi, the enforcement operations became imperative following complaints from members of the public about the criminal activities of miscreants and environmental nuisance of illegal street traders around the Shrine.
He added that the night 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 as a whole.
ALSO READ: Police sergeant stabs self, eight others with broken bottle in Ondo
“The night enforcement operation was carried out on all roads around African Shrine where sales of hard drugs like tramadol, codeine, skunk, weed, illegal mixed liquor, assorted food and all sorts of consumable and non-consumable items are freely sold on the streets in defiance of security agencies and government authority,” the Task Force boss said.
CSP Egbeyemi maintained that the enforcement operations would be a continuous exercise in line with the vision of the present administration under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to rid the entire state of street urchins and criminals, adding that the state government had vowed to sustain the security onslaught on all areas identified as criminal hideouts and hard drug outlets across the state, most especially within the metropolis.
“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 within the metropolis,” Egbeyemi said.
According to the statement, Tunde Babalola, one of the arrested miscreants, who was caught with a bag of substance suspected to be Indian hemp, confirmed that he had been selling hard drugs for eight years, particularly around ‘African Shrine’ at Ikeja.
He was said to have confirmed that dealing in hard drugs was a lucrative business, as he disclosed realising 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, was said to have disclosed that she paid N1,900 every week to a representative of Ikeja Local Government from the sales of ‘skuchies’ and ‘hot drinks’ around the ‘African Shrine.’
Egbeyemi, however, confirmed that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Zubairu Muazu, had directed that all those arrested be immediately prosecuted.
and then