The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) has arrested 21 suspected street traders during an operation to clear illegal trading in the state.

The task force’s spokesperson, Abdulraheem Gbadeyan, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.

He said the enforcement was carried out in the Iyana-Iba and Ojo areas along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

According to him, the exercise was part of the agency’s ongoing cleanup drive against street trading, illegal ticketing, unauthorised road blockages, and unapproved bus stops.

Mr Gbadeyan said the team visited Iyana-Iba and adjoining roads where traders had resumed selling on the newly constructed roads, obstructing traffic and defacing the environment.

He added that 21 suspects, including 15 males and six females, were arrested, while their goods and wares displayed on the roads were seized.

Mr Gbadeyan said normalcy had been restored to all affected areas following the enforcement exercise.

He noted that all suspects would be prosecuted, while the confiscated items would be forfeited in line with the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Laws of 2017 and the Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018.

The task force chairman, CSP Shola Akerele, warned traders against displaying goods on highways and walkways, as such acts obstruct traffic flow and cause congestion.

He urged street traders, illegal ticketers, and operators of unauthorised bus stops to desist or face the full weight of the law.

(NAN)