By: Adeosun Ewatomi
In its effort to maintain the safety and security of residents and ensure a habitable environment, the Lagos State Taskforce carried out an operation on Wednesday, November 13, to clear illegal shanties and makeshift buildings along the Pen Cinema to Fagba railway corridor and its surrounding areas, covering a distance of approximately 25 kilometers.
During the operation, 94 recalcitrant squatters who attempted to resist the Agency's actions were arrested. The raid also led to the recovery of suspected hard drugs, including marijuana and a synthetic drug known as Colorado, as well as other harmful and dangerous substances, along with weapons.
The operation, which commenced in the early hours of the day, was supervised by the Chairman of the Agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, who took the illegal occupants and squatters in the corridor by surprise.
In his remarks, Akerele stated that the action was necessary to provide residents around Fagba, Agege, and Pen Cinema railway routes with relief, following a series of complaints received by the government and the police hierarchy about the activities of criminal elements residing in the area. The illegal squatters had reportedly shown a blatant disregard for the state's environmental and sanitary laws.
The Chairman further noted that the presence of squatters along the rail corridor is not only unhealthy but also hazardous. He warned the ejected squatters not to return to the rail corridor, which was designed solely for the passage of trains, and assured residents and train passengers that there would be adequate patrols and regular surveillance along the corridor to ensure no squatters return to erect any shanties in the future.
Akerele emphasized that the rail tracks are not meant for habitation or the sale of narcotics, and that anyone caught converting the place into a den of criminals or an area of residence will face severe consequences according to the law.
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