Residents of Oluwalogbon, Oke, Ajani Akingbogun, Benesther, Kwara, Vincent and Ogo Oluwa streets, Akowonjo, in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State have decried the alleged invasion of their houses by men of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps.
LAGESC is an enforcement agency under the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.
The operatives raided the houses over non-payment of the Lagos Waste Management Authority/Private Sector Participant bills.
On Tuesday, our correspondent observed as the agency brought Black Maria trucks to Ajani Akingbogun Street and arrested some residents.
A nursing mother of a nine-month-old baby was also allegedly arrested.
A resident of Benesther, Omoniyi Ronke, said, “Many houses like ours also owe PSP fees. Is this why they have to break down doors to our houses like this? Even power firms will not do this kind of thing when we owe bills.”
Another resident of Kwara Street, Bisayo Rukayat, told PUNCH Metro that the officials did not heed residents’ pleas for more time to pay their bills.
She said, “Imagine, they just broke doors, arrest people, mothers, fathers, even teenagers and put them in Black Marias that they brought to Vincent Street.
“We are Nigerians; we did not commit any crime. We are being attacked by the government because of PSP money; it is not good.”
An herbalist, Janet Oluwawemimo, told our correspondent that it was not easy for her to make ends meet, adding that the officials were adding to her misery.
She said, “Where do they want us to get N200,000 from to pay at once?
“This morning, the KAI people (LAGESC) came to our place and started kicking our doors open, arresting our husbands and teenage children.”
The Baale of Omituntun, Alimosho LGA, Junaid Suraju, said, “Residents should also pay their bills and government will play its part, though breaking down doors is not the way to go.”
The spokesperson for LAGESC, Lukman Ajayi, said the houses affected owed PSP agents.
He said, “Our unit went to that area to enforce the payment of PSP dues because many of the compounds there owed the operators.
“The PSP operators don’t have prosecuting power, but we have it and that was why they came to us to help them get their money.”
The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, asked the communities to write a petition to his office.
He said, “Those communities that were affected by this issue should please write to the ministry of information and Strategy, we would work on it.”
