A service provider with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority LAWMA has reportedly been hospitalised following the injuries he sustained after a man allegedly hit him with a hammer.

The incident occurred on Tuesday morning when the service provider was performing his official duty at Isolo Road, adjacent to Mushin Local Government office, behind Zone D Police Station, Mushin, Lagos.

Eye witnesses’ account said he was operating under the aegis of Private Sector Participation PSP when he was hit on his head.

A resident, Mr Lasisi Lukman who witnessed the incident said the service provider was in the company of his colleagues to render their services by collecting the refuse of those who had earlier paid for the service when a resident engaged one of them in a fight for failure to collect his refuse.

According to him, the service providers in a bid to resolve the matter asked the man to show evidence of payment which he failed and they insist that his refusal will not be collected.

He said the man angrily went inside his room, came out and the next was to hit one of the operators with a hammer.

“We thought he wanted to bring money but it was a hammer which he hit the PSP operator with. Immediately, blood started gushing out of the victim’s nostrils and mouth.

“His colleagues and residents rallied around and rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was referred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), for brain diagnosis.

“The suspect was later apprehended by sympathisers but his friends wanted to stylishly rescue him. This was resisted and he was taken to Zone D Division for proper investigations.

Contacted, Olugbenga Adebola, the National Spokesperson, Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, said he was not aware of the incident but promised to find out.

“This is very unfortunate, though I am just hearing this from you. It will be most unfortunate for anybody to hit an essential service provider who comes to your premises to evacuate your waste to prevent the outbreak of diseases and epidemics to be so treated. A PSP Operator in any part of Lagos is a representative of the government legally backed up and empowered to collect waste from the tenements in the state and transport the same to a government-approved disposal site.

“Anyone that fights or hits such an organisation or its agents is directly or indirectly hitting or fighting the government. The laws of the state will always take their course.

“Meanwhile, I want to use this opportunity to admonish PSP Operators to report such condemnable acts to the nearest Police Station, the LGAs/LCDAs or to the Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences or the LAGESC aka KAI offices.

“This is the reason the Association in conjunction with LAWMA organised a one day Stakeholders Engagement on enhancing the enforcement of all Environmental laws of Lagos recently.
Equally, the Lagos state government through the Chief Judge of the State approved and inaugurated 24 Magisterial Courts and designated them for the trial of all Environmental infractions in the state.”

The Spokesperson, Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin promised to get back to this reporter.(Vanguard: Excludes headline)

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