In its mission to maintain the safety and security of residents and ensure residents live in a habitable environment, the Lagos State Taskforce on Wednesday , November 13, continued to clear illegal shanties and makeshift buildings along Pen Cinema to Fagba railway corridor and its environs, covering a distance of about 25 kilometres.
Arrested during the operation were 94 recalcitrant squatters who attempted to resist the Agency’s duty.
Recovered during the raid were substances suspected to be hard drugs, including marijuana, a synthetic drug known as Colorado, other harmful and dangerous drugs and weapons.
The Taskforce spokesman, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, said that the sting operation, which commenced in the early hours of the day, was supervised by the Chairman of the Agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, who took illegal occupants and squatters in the corridor by surprise.
In his remarks, Akerele disclosed that the action was necessary to provide residents around Fagba, Agege, and Pen Cinema railway routes a reprieve after a series of complaints were received by the government and the police hierarchy on the activities of criminal elements residing there.
The illegal squatters had reportedly shown a blatant disregard for the state 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.
He stated further that the arrested 94 miscreants would be charged to court promptly.
Akerele assured residents in Fagba, Agege, Pen Cinema, its environs, 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.
He pledged to arrest and prosecute any individual or group attempting to return to the site.
“The rail tracks are not meant for habitation or the sale of narcotics. Anyone caught converting this place into a den of criminals or an area of residence will face severe consequences according to the law,” the Taskforce chairman warned.
