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. 

On Sunday, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, spokesman for the task force, quoted the agency’s chairman, Shola Jejeloye, as giving assurance in his office in Oshodi.

Mr 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 a six-month jail for buyers and sellers.

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

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

He 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. 

“We have made a 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,” Mr Jejeloye stated. 

The chairman appealed to Lagos residents to support the government in achieving the state’s vision of mega city status as enshrined in its THEMES Agenda. 

(NAN)