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.
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