ALERT: “You will be jailed for patronising Lagos traffic hawkers” – Ambode warns
Although street hawking is illegal in Lagos State, it is not really being enforced.
State governor Akinwunmi Ambode said the state is now ready to begin massive enforcement of its anti-street trading laws.
Under the laws, Lagos residents could be sent to jail for buying goods from street and traffic hawkers. Street buyers and sellers are now both liable to six months imprisonment or N90,000 fine.
Ambode issued the warning while appearing on Your View on TVC, Friday morning.
The governor also said most of the products sold in traffic are also fake.
“This thing is a cartel,” Ambode said. “No one can guarantee the quality of these goods they sell in traffic. We discovered that some people are the ones making these fake products and using traffic hawkers to sell them and make money.”
The governor made the appearance days after a traffic hawker was killed by a speeding vehicle at Maryland.
The death led to a violent protest in which at least 14 BRT buses were vandalized. Protesting traffic hawkers thought their colleague was hit by one of the buses. The government said it was a soft drinks truck.
The traffic hawker was allegedly chased in the path of the vehicle by officers of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) who tried arresting him.
Commissioner for information Steve Ayorinde said KAI was only doing its job as traffic hawking had been banned in the state. He said the death of the hawker was “unfortunate”.
Ambode now says he wants to “help traffic hawkers graduate to something more meaningful”.
“We have all kinds of employment funds they can assess in order to get off the streets. We urge them to take the opportunities.”.
