General
Lagos Arrests Street Traders, Miscreants
Over the weekend, operatives of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Taskforce) raided all streets within Central Business District, including surroundings of the ‘African Shrine’, Alausa, Ikeja.
Chairman of the agency, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, said the enforcement operations became imperative following complaints from members of the public about the criminal activities of miscreants and environmental nuisance of illegal street traders around the Shrine.
Mr Egbeyemi disclosed that 28 miscreants and 15 illegal street traders were arrested at various locations around Alausa, hinting that the raid was also initiated due to the nefarious acts within the vicinity of the African Shrine which presented a negative image to tourists and Lagosians as a whole.
According to the Chairman, “The night enforcement operation was carried out on all roads around African Shrine where sales of hard drugs like Tramadol, Codeine, Skunk, Weed, Illegal Mixed Liquor, Assorted Food and all sorts of consumable and non-consumable items are freely sold on the streets in defiance of security agencies and government authority”.
Mr Egbeyemi maintained that the enforcement operations will be a continuous exercise in line with the vision of the present administration to rid the entire State of street urchins and criminals.
“The Lagos State Government has vowed to sustain the security onslaught on all areas identified as criminal hideouts and hard drug outlets across the State, especially within the metropolis,” Mr Egbeyemi said.
One of the arrested miscreants (Tunde Babalola) who was caught with a bag of substance suspected to be Indian hemp confirmed that he has been selling hard drugs for eight years, particularly around ‘African Shrine’ at Ikeja.
He confirmed further that dealing in hard drugs is a lucrative business, saying he realised an average profit between N60,000 and N100,000 weekly from customers around Obalende, Akala, Mushin, Bariga and Ikeja.
Another arrested trader who simply identified herself as Mrs Abike Adeyemi disclosed that she paid N1,900 every week to a representative of Ikeja Local Government from the sales of ‘Skuchies’ and ‘Hot drinks’ around the ‘African Shrine’.
The Task Force Chairman has confirmed that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Zubairu Muazu has directed that all those arrested be immediately prosecuted.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Lagos State government has embarked on a week-long raid of street traders, beggars, miscreants and others after several calls from residents of the metropolis.
The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Mobolaji Abubakre Ogunlende, who led the exercise, said the activities of the beggars and miscreants pose security risks to the state.
He disclosed that the raid is being carried out in collaboration with the Lagos State Task Force across various areas of the state.
According to him, the aim is to rid the streets of destitute individuals, miscreants, and children involved in street begging, which he says also constitutes environmental nuisances.
Mr Ogunlende said the operation covered major routes, including Awolowo Way up to Falomo Roundabout, Ikoyi, Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Lekki Road, and other parts of the state.
During the raid, 27 individuals, including 15 minors engaged in unlawful street trading and begging, were rescued.
All those apprehended will be transferred to the appropriate government facilities in compliance with relevant laws. The Lagos State Government remains committed to ensuring a safe and secure environment for its residents.
“The week-long operation was prompted by messages and calls from residents across Lagos metropolis, raising security concerns.
“These complaints became so frequent that the relevant MDAs responsible for addressing the issue had to take immediate action. We quickly embarked on this exercise, which has been very successful so far.”
“Since the operation began, we have rescued a significant number of adults and children from the streets of Lagos State. All rescued individuals have been taken to our rehabilitation centres for proper care, rehabilitation, and reintegration into society.
“While efforts are ongoing to reunite the children with their families, the adults among them will undergo empowerment programmes to acquire skills that will enable them to become productive and economically self-reliant,” the Commissioner stated.
This is not the first time the state government has apprehended street traders as it did in 2019.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Party organisers, entertainment hubs, and partygoers are on alert amid the spread of counterfeit and substandard drinks proliferating the markets following recent revelations by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The December period – often tagged Detty December – in Nigeria is associated with merriment and parties, and a major feature of these events is alcoholic beverages.
However, recent revelations show that a lot of these consumables are substandard and fake with three people sharing with this newspaper about consuming some of these, albeit unknowingly.
“I am sure the Casamigos I drank were fake. This is not good considering the possible health implications,” one visibly seething person told our correspondent.
“We cannot even verify what we drink in this country. This is supposed to be a carefree period for me but I always have to be careful that I am drinking poison,” another person in Lagos for the holidays based in the United Kingdom shared.
The apprehension has heightened in recent days with the NAFDAC shutting down 150 shops at Eziukwu Market, Aba, Abia State, during a two-day operation on December 16 and 17, 2024.
The agency uncovered large-scale production and distribution of fake and expired goods, including beverages, carbonated drinks, wines, spirits, vegetable oils, and revalidated food items such as noodles, powdered milk, and yoghurt.
NAFDAC noted that the team destroyed items that were valued at N5 billion at the market it described as a hub for counterfeit and substandard products.
The agency’s Director in the South-East Zone, Mr Martins Iluyomade, expressed dismay at the continued illegal activities, despite a previous undertaking signed by market leaders in December 2023 to expose counterfeiters.
On her part, NAFDAC’s DG, Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye, reaffirmed the agency’s zero tolerance for such practices and emphasised its unwavering commitment to safeguarding public health while working toward a permanent solution to the problem of counterfeit products in the market.
Earlier this month, the agency also seized fake alcoholic drinks worth over N180 million in Lagos after a raid on a makeshift factory in Oke Arin market, Lagos Island.
The operation, NAFDAC stated, followed a complaint about the illegal production of alcoholic beverages.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved the transfer of regulatory oversight of the electricity market in Lagos State to the Lagos State Government.
This was disclosed in a statement seen by Business Post on Thursday, which noted that this is in compliance with the amended Nigerian constitution and the Electricity Act 2023 (Amended), which was signed by President Bola Tinubu last year.
NERC issued the order to transfer regulatory oversight of the electricity market in Lagos State from the commission to the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC).
Recall that with the Electricity Act 2023, the commission retains the role as a central regulator with regulatory oversight on the inter-state/international generation, transmission, supply, trading and system operations.
It also mandates any state that intends to establish and regulate intrastate electricity markets to deliver a formal notification of its processes and requests NERC to transfer regulatory authority over electricity operations in the state to the state electricity regulator.
NERC affirmed that Lagos State complied with the conditions precedent in the law and duly notified it and requested for the transfer of regulatory oversight of the intrastate electricity market in Lagos State.
With this, NERC has directed Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKEDP) to incorporate a subsidiary (EKEDP SubCo) to assume responsibilities for intrastate supply and distribution of electricity in Lagos State from EKEDP.
There are two electricity distribution companies serving Lagos customers – EKEPC and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC).
EKEDP shall complete the incorporation of EKEDP SubCo within 60 days from December 5, 2024. The sub-company shall apply for and obtain a licence for the intrastate supply and distribution of electricity from LASERC, among other directives.
It also directed Ikeja Electric Plc to incorporate a subsidiary (IE SubCo) to assume responsibilities for intrastate supply and distribution of electricity in Lagos State from IE.
IE shall complete the incorporation of IE SubCo within 60 days from December 5, 2024. The sub-company shall apply for and obtain a licence for the intrastate supply and distribution of electricity from LASERC, among other directives.
NERC noted that all transfers should be completed by June 4, 2025.
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