Published By Seyi Babalola
In furtherance of the State’s resolve to rid the city of all forms of environmental hazards and ensure that the citizens live in a clean, serene and pollution free environment, the Lagos State Taskforce in conjunction with the Ministry of the Environment have carried out a cleanup exercise of the mountainous refuse dump at Olusosun in Ojota axis of the State.
The activity which lasted for several hours was spearheaded by the Chairman of the Lagos State Taskforce, CSP Shola Jejeloye who stated at the scene of the cleanup exercise, that the clean up was necessary considering the health and environmental hazards posed by the dumpsite to Lagosians transiting or residing within the area where it is located.
Jejeloye further stated that the dumpsite has been a known haven for criminal elements who engage in so many forms of criminal activities one of which is traffic robbery. “We have carried out raids on this dumpsite in the past and made some arrests of suspects with dangerous weapons mostly used for robbery in traffic. Clearing up the site now will definitely reduce the incidents of traffic robbery and pickpocketing around here”.
Nine suspected traffic robbers were arrested at the site during the exercise and found on them were dangerous weapons used to intimidate their victims during their operations.
CSP Jejeloye hinted that the exercise would be continuous and thorough in order to ensure that cleanliness and hygiene is achieved and maintained, on and off the dumpsite. He urged Lagosians to ensure that their waste are properly disposed in designated waste bins and not litter the roads, which could eventually block the water drainages in the State and eventually lead to flooding.
“Environmental offenders who engage in activities that pollute the environment will be arrested and prosecuted in order to serve as a deterrent to others. All hands must be on deck to ensure that Lagos State is clean, serene and habitable for all,” he concluded.