KAI Shuts Shops On Awolowo Way

The Lagos state government, southwest Nigeria, Thursday shut all the shops on Awolowo Way, Ikeja.

The exercise which was carried out by a team of Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, the law enforcement arm of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment, led by Commander Mariam Seke.

According to Captain Danjuma Maigeri (retd), KAI was only enforcing a court order to seal up premises that violated the state’s abatement law.

The court order was issued against the owners of the shop over their failure  to abate alleged nuisance despite being served with an abatement notice.

The leader of the KAI team, Commander Mariam Seke, said “apart from the previous notices that were served on the shop owners which they ignored, another one was served on them on 22  April where the shop owners were given 24 hours to abate the nuisance they created yet they ignored it again. So the government cannot fold its hand and watch the shop owners continue the nuisance hence the court order.”

A shop owner along Awolowo Way who identified himself as Chibuzor Leo told P.M.NEWS that he was planning to remove the extension he constructed in front of his shop before the KAI officials came to effect the court order.

Another shop owner, Mrs. Ojo Mary confirmed that the shop owners were given notice to abate but the 24 hours given them was too short for them to do anything meaningful.

“I am not aware of previous notice but this very one I know about it but the time we were given was to short.

“We were given just 24 hours,” Mrs. Ojo claimed.

A trader who sells shirts and shoes, Mike Ike, told P.M.NEWS correspondent that he travelled to his village and came back Wednesday, saying no one told him about the notice to abate their alleged nuisance.

“I am not aware of any notice to abate because I just came back from my village yesterday.” he said.

—Yusuf Muhammed