Lagos Releases Official Statement On How KAIOfficials Chase Hawker To Death

The Lagos State Government has clarified the
misconception surrounding the unfortunate
incident where a street hawker was knocked down
by an oncoming truck at Maryland Bus Stop on
Wednesday.
The street hawker, who was trying to evade arrest
from officials of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI),
had attempted to cross the road before being hit
by the truck, which was erroneously thought to
be a BRT Bus.

As a result, hoodlums armed with sticks and
stones, immediately descended on some BRT
buses plying the route as at the time of the
incident and in the process destroyed several of
the BRT buses.
But the Government in a statement signed the
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr.
Steve Ayorinde, said that contrary to the
information being circulated in the social media
that the street hawker was hit by a BRT bus, it
was a truck belonging to a soft drink company
that unfortunately hit the boy.
“It wasn’t any of our buses that killed him
(hawker), it was a soft drink company truck that
unfortunately crushed the boy while he was trying
to escape from KAI officers who were on patrol
trying to rid the street of street hawkers and
traders.
“But hoodlums now took advantage of that to
start destroying government assets, including
several of the brand new BRT buses,” he said.
Ayorinde said it took the intervention of a team
from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to quell
the riotous scene caused by the hoodlums before
the corpse of the boy was taken to the morgue at
the General Hospital, Ikeja.
The Commissioner said that at least three
hoodlums alleged to have been part of the mob
that destroyed the BRT buses have been arrested,
saying that the law would take its full course.
“The Lagos State Government would like to use
this opportunity to further reiterate that it would
not relent in ridding the state of illegality, street
trading and hawking,” he said.
Ayorinde said that Section one of the Lagos State
Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law
2003, restricts street trading and hawking in the
metropolis, while Sections Seven and Eight of the
same law gives jurisdiction and power to the
Special Court to order the seizure and public
auction of items impounded from street traders.
Section 10 of the law, he said, also prescribes a
N5000 fine or three months imprisonment upon
conviction.
“Street traders are hereby urged to desist from
this illegal activity because the government will
not be blackmailed and would do that which is
necessary.
“And for the miscreants and hoodlums, the Lagos
State Government and the Police Command would
not allow any act of civil disobedience and those
arrested would be dealt with in accordance with
the law and further arrests would be made as
investigation continues,” he said.
SIGNED

STEVE AYORINDE

COMMISSIONER FOR INFORMATION AND STRATEGY
LAGOS STATE

JUNE 29, 2016