A Magistrate Court sitting in Bolade, Oshodi, Lagos State, has sentenced 14 individuals to three months imprisonment each for assaulting officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as KAI, while carrying out an enforcement operation at the Oshodi Resettlement Market.
The convicts were arrested on Tuesday after allegedly attacking KAI personnel during a routine operation in the market. The incident reportedly led to the assault of enforcement officers and the destruction of an operational vehicle belonging to the agency.
Some of the suspects were apprehended at the scene and taken into custody at the agency’s headquarters in Oshodi before being charged to court.
At the court proceedings, all 14 defendants pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them and were subsequently convicted and sentenced by the magistrate.
Those convicted are Zaradeen Sheu, Abdullahi Bello, Saheed Oladele, Dan Halima Umar, Nofiu Ibrahim, Abubakar Sari, Alfred Magnus, Sanni Adamu, Umar Sabi, Dayabu Sanmar, Seidu Adam, Isa Muhammed, Yakubu Umar, and Abubakar Muktari.
Following the incident, the Lagos State Government ordered the indefinite closure of the Oshodi Resettlement Market.
Announcing the development via his X account, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, stated that traders, allegedly acting alongside miscreants, obstructed government officials and attacked enforcement personnel during an operation aimed at removing hoodlums and beggars from the area.
According to reports, KAI operatives encountered resistance while attempting to enforce environmental and public order regulations within the market. The enforcement team was reportedly prevented from arresting suspected hoodlums and beggars, while agency vehicles sustained damage during the confrontation.
LAGESC is responsible for enforcing environmental sanitation laws across Lagos State, including addressing street trading, environmental infractions, public nuisance, and other activities considered detrimental to public order.
“As a result of the attack on government officials and the disruption of lawful enforcement activities, the Oshodi Resettlement Market has been shut down,” Wahab stated.
The commissioner reiterated the state government’s commitment to protecting law enforcement and environmental officials, stressing that government agencies must be allowed to perform their statutory duties without intimidation or interference.
He further assured residents that the state would continue its enforcement campaign against environmental violations and other acts of indiscipline.
The development comes months after the Lagos State Government sealed the Ladipo Spare Parts Market in Mushin over alleged environmental infractions, including indiscriminate waste disposal and illegal street trading.
The government has consistently maintained that traders and market operators must comply with environmental and public safety regulations, warning that violations could attract penalties ranging from fines to market closure.