The Lagos State Government has intensified its crackdown on street begging and other activities deemed nuisances, resuming enforcement operations along the Ketu-Alapere corridor and surrounding areas.
Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed the development in a post on X on Thursday, stating that the exercise is part of the state’s renewed drive to restore order, safety, and cleanliness in public spaces.
“We have resumed enforcement operations and arrests of beggars and other individuals constituting a nuisance along Ketu-Alapere and adjoining areas. This operation is part of our sustained efforts to restore order, safety, and cleanliness across public spaces in Lagos,” Wahab said.
While acknowledging the social and economic factors driving street begging, he stressed that the state would not tolerate activities that endanger public safety or disrupt environmental order.
“While we understand the social dimensions of street begging, the state cannot allow actions that compromise public safety or environmental order. Together, we will maintain the vision of a Cleaner Lagos and a Greater Lagos,” he added.
A video circulating from the operation showed several individuals, including some physically challenged persons, being escorted into a Black Maria.
The latest exercise, which began on Wednesday, follows similar enforcement actions carried out last year. In December 2024, the Lagos State Environmental Taskforce arrested 17 persons, including eight minors, for alleged street begging along major routes such as Alfred Rewane, Osborne, Alexandra, and Bourdillon in Ikoyi, as well as the Lekki-Ajah corridor on Victoria Island.
The state government has consistently reiterated that street begging, hawking, and related activities will not be tolerated, as part of its broader efforts to maintain order and promote a cleaner, safer Lagos.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
