Posted by Chinenye on Wed 24th Jun, 2026 - tori.ng
A Lagos Magistrate Court in Oshodi has sentenced 14 individuals to three months in prison each for assaulting environmental sanitation officers during an enforcement operation at the Oshodi Resettlement Market.
(14 Sentenced to Prison. Photo by Vanguard News)
On Wednesday, a Magistrate Court in Bolade, Oshodi, Lagos, sentenced fourteen individuals to three months in prison each for assaulting Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), also known as KAI, officials while they were performing their official duties at the Oshodi Resettlement Market.
Following an assault on KAI employees during a market enforcement operation, the prisoners were taken into custody on Tuesday.
According to reports, the incident led to suspected miscreants attacking officers and vandalizing an operational vehicle.
Before being charged in court, some of the accused were taken into custody at the agency's Oshodi headquarters.
The magistrate found all 14 defendants guilty after they entered guilty pleas to the charges.
Zaradeen Sheu, Abdullahi Bello, Saheed Oladele, Dan Halima Umar, Nofiu Ibrahim, Abubakar Sari, Alfred Magnus, Sanni Adamu, Umar Sabi, Dayabu Sanmar, Seidu Adam, Isa Muhammad, Yakubu Umar, and Abubakar Muktari are among those convicted.
The Lagos State Government ordered the Oshodi Resettlement Market to close indefinitely after the attack.
Tokunbo Wahab, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, announced the closure through his social media account.
He claimed that during an operation aimed at local hoodlums and beggars, traders, allegedly working in tandem with miscreants, obstructed government officials and attacked enforcement personnel.
Reports state that when LAGESC agents entered the market to police public order and environmental laws, they ran into opposition from alleged miscreants and vendors.
According to reports, agency vehicles were destroyed during the operation, and officials were unable to apprehend suspected hoodlums and beggars.
In Lagos State, LAGESC is in charge of upholding environmental sanitation regulations. This includes dealing with street trade, environmental infractions, public nuisances, and other activities that are thought to be harmful to public order.
Wahab said, "The Oshodi Resettlement Market has been shut down due to the attack on government officials and the disruption of lawful enforcement activities."
The commissioner emphasized that attacks on law enforcement and environmental officers would not be tolerated by the state government and insisted that government agencies be free to fulfill their legal obligations without hindrance or intimidation.
Additionally, he said that the state will continue its enforcement efforts to eradicate environmental violations and other instances of indiscipline.
This comes months after the Ladipo Spare Parts Market in Mushin was shut down by the Lagos State Government due to claimed environmental infractions, such as illegal street selling and careless garbage disposal.
The government has continuously insisted that traders and market operators adhere to environmental and public safety standards, cautioning that noncompliance could result in penalties ranging from fines to complete closure.