Lagos State government, yesterday, read the riot act to vandals in the state, restating there would be zero tolerance for their activities.
Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this against the background of the arrest of a suspected vandal, Abba Mohammed, 24.
He was arrested for allegedly vandalising and stealing iron in concrete barriers built by the state government at System 1, Odo Iya Alaro main stream, Opebi Link Bridge.
The suspect, who claimed to have hailed from Kano State, was caught in the act as he, alongside other accused, Saad and Muritala (both at large), broke down the concrete barriers and extracted the iron.
Abba, who resides in one of the shanties close to the canal, claimed that the concrete barriers fell and that he only tried to remove the iron for personal use, adding that he was not aware the barriers were built by the government for a purpose.
The suspect also tried to escape while being conveyed to the Ministry of Environment, Alausa, and in the process broke the side window of a Nissan bus.
The accused has been handed over to the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences for further investigation and prosecution.
“Over the years, theft and vandalism of government properties, especially items and public infrastructure that are valuable and profitable, have become the target of these people, a situation that we can no longer condone,” Wahab said.
