Crackdown at Alaba Rago: Court remands 34 for illegal street trading

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Thirty-four individuals have been remanded in prison custody by a Magistrate Court sitting in Bolade, Oshodi, for engaging in illegal street trading along the median of the Alaba Rago–Ojo axis on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

The suspects, comprising 32 men and 2 women, were arrested over the weekend during a joint enforcement operation carried out by officials of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).

The operation was part of efforts by the state government to clear illegal structures and restore order to the heavily encroached median.

According to authorities, some of those apprehended were miscreants found living in makeshift shelters erected on the median, which have reportedly been used as a cover for criminal activities in the area.

Those arraigned include: Ibrahim Abu, 35; Isiaka Ashafa, 31; Shaibu Isa, 55; Abubakar Haruna, 29; Aminu Haruna, 21; Aminu Abdullahi, 20; Zakariyahu Yahusa, 50; Sunmola Musa, 25; Samsideen Ali, 21; Anthony Oyibo, 68; Abubakar Yusuf, 25; Muhammed Oseni, 27; Aliu Mohammed, 45; Lookman Adebayo, 43; Igudu Ibrahim, 25; Awalu Umar, 25; Sani Babangida, 25; Abdullahi Usman, 24; Aliu Ibrahim, 25; Roland David, 19; David Timothy, 18; Yusuf Adamu, 23; Abdulsalam Sanusi, 25; Nura Yusuf, 25; Idris Isa, 23; Nasiru Ali, 25; Mayi Daniel, 22; Isaac Samuel, 25; Yahaya Mamuda, 18; Salisu Ibrahim, 28; Yusuf Adamu, 20; Abdullahi Musa, 20; and the two women, Fadipe Bose, 33, and Ebere Ndubuisi, 35.

All suspects have been remanded until July 22, pending further court proceedings.

Speaking on the arrests, the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance stance on deviant behaviours and street trading violations.

He urged residents to uphold basic standards of public decency and cooperate with efforts to maintain a cleaner and more sustainable Lagos.

The statement was signed by Kunle Adeshina, Director of Public Affairs at the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, on June 10, 2025.