The Lagos State Task Force has revealed its plan to ban highway trading.
The Task Force warned commuters and pedestrians to refrain from patronizing illegal street traders as both buyer and seller will face severe punishments once arrested.
On Sunday, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, spokesman for the task force, quoted the president of the bureau, Shola Jejeloye, who gave reassurances in his office in Oshodi.
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Jejeloye, according to the statement, said his agency would enforce the Lagos State Street Illegal Market and Trade Prohibition Act, 2003, which prescribes a ninety thousand naira fine or six months imprisonment for buyers and sellers.
According to him, the task force was set up to crack down on street traders and support sister agencies in enforcing a blanket ban on highway trading.
Jejeloye maintained that the development was the state government’s decision to ensure the safety and security of Lagos residents and common sense on the highways.
He added that the agency has worked with the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) to curb road traffic, which impedes vehicular and pedestrian movement along key routes such as Oshodi, Ketu, and Ajangbadi.
Jejeloye said:
“We have made a series of arrests of hawkers in traffic who pose under the guise of selling items in traffic but end up robbing unsuspecting commuters of their valuables in the process.
“We are out to put a stop to it through this planned exercise .”
The Chairman, therefore called on the citizens of Lagos to support the government in realizing the state’s vision of megacity status, as enshrined in the THEMES agenda.
