Lagos State Government to Landlords - Habour Criminals, Risk House Demolition

From Felix Mordi

The Lagos State Government may resort to demolishing houses where cultists and other notorious criminals reside.

This decision is to further enhance the state government's efforts at ensuring that it achieves its aims of doing away with all sorts of criminal elements in the society.

Disclosing this in a press release on Thursday, the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences, Adebayo Taofiq said this amid arrest of 21 miscreants smoked out of their various hideouts in Ogudu and Ajah areas of the state.

Quoting the Agency Chairman, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, the PRO said: "Let me sound this note of warning to owners of structures harbouring criminal elements, to immediately flush them out as government would not hesitate to demolish any building occupied by miscreants and cultists across the State"

Egbeyemi, who led the operation, expressed dismay at the unruly act of the miscreants saying, “During the enforcement exercise, a large number of miscreants/cultists launched a serious attack on the officers with broken bottles, stones, axe and other dangerous weapons from different spots, including uncompleted buildings", adding that in the face of the senseless attack, his operatives stood their ground and ensured that the hoodlums were dislodged, as directed by the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu.

He said that, when the heat became intensive and unbearable for the miscreants, they all scampered for safety, noting that some of them escaped through the roof.

According to the Taskforce Chairman, residents of the affected areas lodged complaints of incessant attacks on them by the miscreants, mostly cult members, adding that the state government could not close its eyes to the criminal act that takes place mostly in the early hours of the day and late at night.

He said that CP Odumosu has directed that all the suspects be prosecuted in the law court.

In another development, and in line with the directives of the state government on social distancing, use of nose-mask and ban on activities of commercial motorcyclists across the state, as part of efforts to curb the spread of Coronavirus pandemic, the Agency has impounded 78 commercial motorcycles for engaging in illegal activities around Onipanu, Adekunle and Igbo-efon, by Jakande area of Lekki.

Egbeyemi averred that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration was doing everything possible to flatten the curve of the Coronavirus pandemic in the state and implored the citizens to strictly adhere to all the safety precautions issued, such as maintaining social distancing and usage of nose masks.