A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Bolade, Oshodi, Lagos, on Tuesday, ordered the remand of 34 individuals in correctional custody for engaging in illegal street trading along the median of the Alaba Rago axis of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
The suspects, comprising 32 men and two women, were apprehended during a joint enforcement operation carried out on Sunday by operatives of the Lagos State Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). The operation was part of a renewed government effort to clear and sanitize the median of the busy expressway, which had become a hotspot for unregulated trading and unauthorised structures.
According to enforcement officials, the suspects had erected makeshift stalls and shelters directly on the road median, creating not only an eyesore but also a serious threat to public safety. Some of the structures, authorities allege, served as hideouts for miscreants and facilitated criminal activities in the area.
Magistrate A.O. Layinka, who presided over the matter, ruled that all suspects be remanded until July 22, pending further hearings.
Among those arraigned are: Ibrahim Abu, 35; Isiaka Ashafa, 31; Shaibu Isa, 55; Abubakar Haruna, 29; Aminu Haruna, 21; Aminu Abdullahi, 20; Zakariyahu Yahusa, 50; Sunmola Musa, 25; and Samsideen Ali, 21. Also remanded were Anthony Oyibo, 68; Abubakar Yusuf, 25; Muhammed Oseni, 27; Aliu Mohammed, 45; Lookman Adebayo, 43; Igudu Ibrahim, 25; Awalu Umar, 25; Sani Babangida, 25; Abdullahi Usman, 24; Aliu Ibrahim, 25; Roland David, 19; and David Timothy, 18.
Others include Yusuf Adamu, 23; Abdulsalam Sanusi, 25; Nura Yusuf, 25; Idris Isa, 23; Nasiru Ali, 25; Mayi Daniel, 22; Isaac Samuel, 25; Yahaya Mamuda, 18; Salisu Ibrahim, 28; another Yusuf Adamu, 20; Abdullahi Musa, 20; Fadipe Bose, 33; and Ebere Ndubuisi, 35.
Officials reiterated that the Lagos State Government remains committed to reclaiming and restoring order to public spaces across the state, particularly areas where illegal trading activities have posed risks to traffic safety and urban sanitation.
