Lagos seizes alcoholic drinks from street traders

Alcoholic beverages distributed to drivers by street vendors at Olupese Terminal Park and Oshodi-Bolade Garages were seized by representatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps on Tuesday.

This was revealed in a statement posted on X.com by Tokunbo Wahab, the state commissioner for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

Wahab claimed that the goal of the crackdown was to reduce the growing number of drunk driving-related traffic accidents.

"The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps, popularly known as KAI, seized alcoholic drinks during a raid on Olupese Terminal Park and Oshodi-Bolade Garages on Tuesday as part of concerted efforts undertaken by the state government to mitigate the trend of alcohol consumption by commercial drivers across different parks and garages in the state as discovered to be a primary trigger for motor accidents," the author wrote.

It was also reported that the Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Cole (retd.), issued a warning to hawkers and street vendors to stop their unlawful business practices.

The statement continued, "He maintained that the agency will remain resolute in its fight against street trading, the display of goods for sale in traffic on walkways, setbacks, lay-bys, gutter slabs, road verges and medians, and that defaulters will face stiff opposition."

The Lagos State Government has stepped up its efforts to eradicate roadside vendors, dismantle shantytowns, and combat street trading through a variety of initiatives.