The Lagos State administration has reassured the people living there that they are safe and that the state-wide effort to clear Lagos of obvious security threats is still ongoing following the arrest of a few individuals beneath the Dolphin Estate Bridge.
The state government expressed concerns about the safety of people and property due to the constant migration of miscreants, beggars, and the impoverished onto Lagos streets in a statement signed by Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, commissioner for information and strategy. This can’t happen.
Over the weekend, 450 miscreants were saved as part of the experiment. Out of the group, 371 begged for help to move to their respective states because of the difficulties they are having in Lagos, and 79 were taken into government facilities for rehabilitation after exhibiting symptoms of illness.
“The government will continue to carry out this exercise as part of its duty to ensure the safety and security of its citizens,” he declared.
On Thursday of last week, the state government found apartments beneath the Dolphin Estate Bridge in the Ikoyi neighbourhood. Tenants pay N250,000 a year for the 86 divided rooms, each measuring 10 by 10 and 12 by 10.
Tokunbo Wahab, the state’s commissioner for the environment and water resources, shed light on the situation by announcing that the government had begun a quest for unlicensed landlords and promising to prosecute them upon capture.
“The operatives of Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI/LAGESC, in line with the provisions of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Management Law renewed the enforcement of the use of pedestrian bridges,” Wahab stated, “as a renewed step to ensure safety of lives of residents.”
As of the most recent count, 1,032 people had been arrested for failing to use pedestrian bridges and crossing the roadway.
In all, 165 miscreants and squatters on the state’s pedestrian bridges were removed, and the bridges were cleaned up. After conducting an investigation just the day before, the officers discovered a sizable illegal housing complex built beneath the Dolphin Bridge in Ikoyi.