Lagos community asks Sanwo-Olu to deploy taskforce over dredgers’ activities

Landlords and residents of Tunde Afolabi Street, a residential area in Ajah part of Lagos State, have petitioned Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over what they called “illegal and reckless” activities of sand dredgers in the community.

They said the sand dredgers had used their trucks to destroy roads, disrupt movements while instilling psychological trauma on landlords and residents of the street.

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This was contained in a petition filed on behalf of the association by its solicitor, SkyFall Partners and signed by Cookel Oke George.

They urged the government to deploy the state’s special task force and KAI Brigade to curtail the activities of the dredgers and their trucks in Ajah especially on Tunde Afolabi Street, saying they are daily frustrating the administration’s urban renewal programme.

They said the dredgers had refused to obey an earlier directive to cease operation until a suitable parking arrangement was made for them.

They stated that lives and properties had been endangered by their activities within the estate.

The petition reads: “Sir, these dredgers were adequately informed to cease operation and so shall it be until they have put in place adequate/proper parking arrangements for all the tippers serving their interest.

“Sadly and most regrettably, the sand dredging operators have deliberately refused to shut down their sand dredging operations. They have religiously breached the above action point reached. Their actions have frustrated the administration’s effort to free the Ajah interchange and achieve enduring peace as canvassed by the Hon. Commissioner for Transport and the Hon. Commissioner for Physical Planning.

“It will interest Your Excellency to know that the sand dredging operators have escalated their impunity on our Client’s street with reckless abandon. This has led to enormous disturbance, road dilapidation and psychological trauma exerted on the residents owing to the illegal activities of the sand dredging operators.”

They asked the governor “to use your good office to wade into this matter immediately because the dredgers are ever ready to continue their acts of carnage and irresponsibility on our Client’s residential street.”

“We shall be grateful if Your Excellency can put into action the Lagos Special TaskForce/KAIBrigade. Let them be deployed to stop the activities of these indiscipline sand operators,” the landlords added.