The Jos Metropolitan Development Board would soon begin to arrest and sanction street traders in the city, its General Manager, Mathaias Hata, has warned.
Hata told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Tuesday that street trading was an aberration and a nuisance which constituted security threat in the metropolis.
Hata said the board had last year issued quit notices to the traders to vacate the streets, adding that it would soon enforce the order using law enforcement agencies.
According to him, officials of the board would be deployed to areas notorious for the practice to curb the menace of street trading in the metropolis.
“The blockade of roads and major streets by traders like what we have in Chobe, Old Airport Road and Maiango Junction will no longer be tolerated.
“These people left different market centres within the metropolis and settled down in Chobe during the religious crisis.
“But to our surprise, they have refused to go back to the market spaces provided for them by the government,” he said.
According to him, street trading had diminished the aesthetic beauty of Jos, which is known for its cleanliness and peaceful environment.
He said that many health challenges could result from the volume of filth generated by the activities of the street traders.
“Most of this traders lack proper waste handling, disposal and management, and so the people living around such places are exposed to so many harmful diseases,” Hata said.
He advised traders to vacate the streets and return to the empty shops in the markets.