A Magistrate Court sitting in Bolade, Oshodi, has convicted and sentenced 14 traders for assaulting officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, popularly known as Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), and vandalising an operational vehicle during an enforcement exercise at the Oshodi Resettlement Market.
The convicts are Zaradeen Sheu, Abdullahi Bello, Saheed Oladele, Dan Halima Umar, Nofiu Ibrahim, Abubakar Sari, Alfred Magnus, Sanni Adamu, Umar Sabi, Dayabu Danmar, Seidu Adam, Isa Muhammed, Yakubu Umar and Abubakar Muktari.
They were arrested and arraigned by the agency on the same day the incident occurred, in line with the Lagos State Government’s zero-tolerance policy against assaults on public officers carrying out lawful duties.
The traders were sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the charges brought against them over the attack, which had earlier prompted the state government to shut down the market.
It was gathered that the confrontation began during a KAI enforcement operation aimed at restoring order and curbing the activities of suspected hoodlums and beggars within the market environment. Tensions escalated after some traders reportedly resisted the arrest of individuals targeted by the enforcement team.
As the situation worsened, operational vehicles belonging to the sanitation corps were vandalised, disrupting the exercise and forcing the officers to withdraw from the scene.
The government said the conviction and sentencing of the traders underscore its commitment to protecting public officers from assault, intimidation, or obstruction while performing their official responsibilities.