A Lagos Magistrate Court has convicted and sentenced three men for attacking officials of the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), also known as Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), during an environmental enforcement operation in the state.
The convicts — Farouk Olori (25), Ogundare Oluwatobiloba (27), and Taoreed Alimi (20) — were arraigned before Magistrate Ariyo of the Special Offences Court on a three-count charge bordering on breach of peace, obstruction of lawful duty, and assault, offences contrary to the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
They were found guilty of violently resisting enforcement officers who had moved into the Ipodo area of Olowu Street following complaints from residents over illegal trading activities allegedly blocking vehicular and pedestrian movement.
Speaking on the judgment, the Corps Marshal of LAGESC, Major Olaniyi Cole (retd.), said the agency had earlier issued abatement notices to traders in the area, but compliance was ignored, forcing officials to proceed with enforcement.
Cole explained that trouble started when operatives moved in to clear street obstructions, adding that the suspects attacked the enforcement team, leaving one officer injured.
The injured official was reportedly treated immediately after the incident.
In his ruling, Magistrate Ariyo sentenced the first and third defendants to one week in custody with an option of community service, while the second defendant was handed a one-year jail term based on the evidence before the court.
Reacting to the verdict, Cole described the judgment as a deterrent against attacks on government officials carrying out lawful duties, warning residents against obstructing environmental enforcement in the state.
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He reiterated that trading on road setbacks and other restricted areas, as well as open defecation and urination, remain punishable offences under Lagos State environmental laws.
