By Halimah Olamide
The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) also known as KAI, has secured the conviction 12 suspects over offences bordering on prostitution, breach of peace.
This was contained in a statement released by the agency on Thursday.
According to the statement, the move is part of consolidated efforts towards reducing the spate of environmental infractions in the Obalende area of the State.
The Commercial Sex Workers were sentenced to 8 months impisonment.
According to the statement, ‘‘the THEMES agenda of Mr. Governor clearly stated the need for Lagos to be habitable for business and the situation at Obalende has deteriorated over time, prompting the need for us to launch a large-scale enforcement operation against these nefarious elements that want to desecrate our environment which resulted in arrests and multiple secured convictions’’.
The names of the suspects are as follows;
Oluwaseun Durojaye, F, 20, Joy Felix, F, 24, Opeyemi Azeez, F, 25, Precious Mathew, F, 24, Happiness Kingsley, F, 24, Theresa Edet, F, 30, Ayo Olanrewaju, F, 20, Monica Ebuka, F, 21, Blessing James, F, 22, Favour Samuel, F, 34, Janet Ighumba, F, 24, Marvis Ifeoma, F, 32, Adeyanju Clara, F, 24, Favour Johnson, F, 34, Joy Rafael, F, 24, Promise Joseph, F, 23, Favour Ajoor, F, 28, Joy Onyekachi, F, 28 and Emmanuel Friday, F, 20.
They were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Adefioye of the Special Offences Court at Oshodi for offences contrary to Section 142(1)(a)(b) and 168(1) (d) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State as 12 out of 19 suspects bagged 8 months imprisonment while 7 others who pleaded not guilty were remanded in prison custody until December 18 for further hearing.
Applauding the judgement, Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (rtd), insisted that despite the attacks recorded towards operatives in the line of duty, the Agency remains undeterred by the acts of these nefarious elements, stressing that any arrested defaulter will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
The KAI top man also read the riot act to street traders, hawkers to refrain from the display of wares for sale on setbacks, lay-bys, medians, road verges, kerbs, gutter slabs.
He therefore enjoined pedestrians to make use of the pedestrian bridges when crossing highways as defaulters will be arrested on a daily and made to face prosecution for endangering their lives.