The Lagos State Government has clarified
the misconception surrounding the unfortunate incident where a street
hawker was knocked down by an oncoming truck at Maryland Bus Stop on
Wednesday.
The street hawker, who was trying to
evade arrest from officials of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), had
attempted to cross the road before being hit by the truck, which was
erroneously thought to be a BRT Bus.
As a result, hoodlums armed with sticks
and stones, immediately descended on some BRT buses plying the route as
at the time of the incident and in the process destroyed several of the
BRT buses.
But the Government in a statement signed
the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, said
that contrary to the information being circulated in the social media
that the street hawker was hit by a BRT bus, it was a truck belonging to
a soft drink company that unfortunately hit the boy. “It wasn’t any of
our buses that killed him (hawker), it was a soft drink company truck
that unfortunately crushed the boy while he was trying to escape from
KAI officers who were on patrol trying to rid the street of street
hawkers and traders.
“But hoodlums now took advantage of that
to start destroying government assets, including several of the brand
new BRT buses,” he said. Ayorinde said it took the intervention of a
team from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to quell the riotous scene
caused by the hoodlums before the corpse of the boy was taken to the
morgue at the General Hospital, Ikeja. The Commissioner said that at
least three hoodlums alleged to have been part of the mob that destroyed
the BRT buses have been arrested, saying that the law would take its
full course.
“The Lagos State Government would like
to use this opportunity to further reiterate that it would not relent in
ridding the state of illegality, street trading and hawking,” he said.
Ayorinde said that Section one of the Lagos State Street Trading and
Illegal Market Prohibition Law 2003, restricts street trading and
hawking in the metropolis, while Sections Seven and Eight of the same
law gives jurisdiction and power to the Special Court to order the
seizure and public auction of items impounded from street traders.
Section 10 of the law, he said, also
prescribes a N5000 fine or three months imprisonment upon conviction.
“Street traders are hereby urged to desist from this illegal activity
because the government will not be blackmailed and would do that which
is necessary.
“And for the miscreants and hoodlums,
the Lagos State Government and the Police Command would not allow any
act of civil disobedience and those arrested would be dealt with in
accordance with the law and further arrests would be made as
investigation continues,” he said.
Credit: Vanguard
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