Over six operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) were badly injured while carrying out enforcement on street trading along Queens Drive in Ikoyi, leaving the officers seriously injured with three of the operational trucks also damaged.
The operation, which is part of the governor’s mandate to clear every part of the state of all environmental nuisances and infractions such as street trading on walk-ways/setbacks as well as erection of illegal shanties across the state, was led by the Deputy Corps Marshal (DCM) Operation, Mr. Ganiu Kazeem, and Deputy Corps Marshal Discipline and Staff Welfare, Mr. Adeleke Adeeso, on the instructions of the Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello.
The staff of the Federal High Court who were known to patronise the street traders obstructed the operatives while dislodging the street traders who had earlier been given several notices to vacate the drainage part used for hawking of food items and drinks.
The DCM explained that on getting to the scene of the incident at about 1:45 pm the staff of the Federal High Court with the private security personnel of the court came out en mass to attack the team with stones, iron-rod, broken bottles and cutlasses leaving them injured and damaging two operational vehicles.
The agency’s officers who were injured included Oyedokun Samson (driver), Iwatan Oluwa Seun, Riwatan Oluwatobi, Shipeolu Babatunde, amongst others. They were immediately rushed to the hospital and are currently receiving treatment, though one of them who was stabbed on the neck was under serious condition as at the time of filing this report.
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