43 arrested for illegal activities in African Shrine environs

The Lagos State Task Force says it has arrested 28 miscreants and 15 illegal street traders at various locations around Alausa and the African Shrine vicinity.

Olayinka Egbeyemi, Task Force chairman, made this known on Sunday in a statement released by Adebayo Taofiq, the agency’s head of public affairs unit.

Egbeyemi said that the raid was due to the nefarious acts within the vicinity of the African Shrine which presented a negative image to tourists and residents of Lagos.

“Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit, over the weekend, raided all streets within Central Business District including surroundings of the ‘African Shrine’, Alausa, Ikeja,” the statement read.

“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.”

According to the chairman, the night operation was carried out around African Shrine where sales of hard drugs like tramadol, codeine, skunk, Weed, illegal mixed liquor and assorted food take place.

“These consumable and non-consumable items are freely sold on the streets in defiance of security agencies and government authority,” he said.

“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.”

An arrested illegal trader, Abike Adeyemi, said that she pays 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 said that the state commissioner of police, Zubairu Muazu, has directed that all those arrested be immediately prosecuted.