By GRACE ALEGBA

The Lagos State Task Force has warned commuters and pedestrians to refrain from patronising illegal street traders, as a stiff punishment awaits both the buyer and the seller once apprehended.

A statement on Sunday by Mr Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, spokesman, Lagos State Task Force, quoted the Chairman of the agency, CSP Shola Jejeloye, as giving the assurance in his office in Oshodi.

Jejeloye, according to the statement, said his agency would enforce the Lagos State Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law, 2003, which prescribes N90,000 fine or six-months jail for both buyers and sellers.

He said the task force was set to clamp down on street traders and support sister agencies in the enforcement of total ban on highway trading in the state.

Jejeloye said this was the decision of the state government to ensure safety and security of Lagos residents as well as sanity on the highways.

“It is no longer news to anyone that the closure of the Eko Bridge was as a result of illegal street trading right under the bridge that resulted in fire outbreak and subsequent closure of the bridge due to safety reasons.

“Now the bridge has been reopened and we will ensure that these street traders do not inflict any more pains on Lagosians,” he said.

Jejeloye said his agency had partnered with the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) in curbing street trading which impedes vehicular and pedestrian movement along major routes like Oshodi, Ketu and Ajangbadi.

“All hands will be on deck this time to ensure that compliance is recorded state wide,” he said.

He decried the activities of traders on highways, which poses serious environmental and security concerns as a result of the criminality that goes hand in hand with street trading, especially at night.

“We have made 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,” Jejeloye stated.

The chairman appealed to Lagos residents to support government in achieving the state’s vision of Mega City Status as enshrined in its THEMES Agenda. (NAN)

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