Officers of the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), yesterday, conducted an enforcement operation to dislodge touts and miscreants constituting nuisance on the Oshodi and Ikeja-Along pedestrian bridges.
The action followed public outcry about the activities of miscreants occupying pedestrian bridges along major expressways in the state and the recurrent harassment meted out to unsuspecting pedestrians.
Corps Marshal of the agency, Major Olatunbosun Olaniyi Cole (rtd), said the action was to make pedestrian bridges safe and encourage residents to use them.
She said: ‘‘We received outcries from Lagosians about the activities of miscreants and touts occupying the Oshodi and Ikeja-Along bridges, under the guise of seeking shade. They place themselves strategically to dislodge pedestrians of their valuables. This discourages their (pedestrians) use of the bridges, which serves the purpose of protecting them from being knocked over by speeding motorists.”
Cole affirmed the resolve of the agency to consolidate on the enforcement, adding that any person found constituting a threat to the safety of pedestrians on highways will be apprehended and prosecuted by the courts, to serve as a deterrent to others.
She also stressed the need for Lagos residents in transit to make appropriate use of the bridges for their safety, in the stead of crossing highways.
According to her, any erring pedestrian apprehended by KAI operatives will equally face prosecution.
She read the riot act to traders who display their wares around and beneath pedestrian bridges.
She noted that this constitutes street trading, which is proscribed by the state’s environmental laws, adding that the agency will apprehend any defaulter.
