Court jails 12 for prostitution, breach of peace offences in Lagos‬

‪Abdullateef Fowewe‬

‪The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps well known as KAI has secured the conviction of 12 commercial sex workers to eight months imprisonment for offences bordering on prostitution, breach of peace during a dislodgement operation by KAI.

This was disclosed in a statement shared on the official social media account of the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps on Thursday.

The statement reads, “As part of consolidated efforts exhausted towards reducing the spate of environmental infractions in the Obalende area of the State, the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI on Wednesday secured the conviction of 12 Commercial Sex Workers (CSW) to 8 months imprisonment for offences bordering on prostitution, breach of peace during a dislodgement operation led by the Corps Marshal of the Agency. ‬

‪”The Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (rtd) made this disclosure on Monday at the Command Headquarters of the Agency at Bolade-Oshodi, Lagos. According to him, ‘The THEMES agenda of Mr Governor clearly stated the need for Lagos to be habitable for business and the situation at Obalende has deteriorated over time, prompting the need for us to launch a large-scale enforcement operation against these nefarious elements that want to desecrate our environment which resulted in arrests and multiple secured convictions.’”

The suspects names are, ‪Oluwaseun Durojaye, F, 20, Joy Felix, F, 24, Opeyemi Azeez, F, 25, Precious Mathew, F, 24, Happiness Kingsley, F, 24, Theresa Edet, F, 30, Ayo Olanrewaju, F, 20, Monica Ebuka, F, 21, Blessing James, F, 22, Favour Samuel, F, 34, Janet Ighumba, F, 24, Marvis Ifeoma, F, 32, Adeyanju Clara, F, 24, Favour Johnson, F, 34, Joy Rafael, F, 24, Promise Joseph, F, 23, Favour Ajoor, F, 28, Joy Onyekachi, F, 28 and Emmanuel Friday, F, 20‬.

The suspects according to the remark were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Adefioye of the Special Offences Court at Oshodi.

“They were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Adefioye of the Special Offences Court at Oshodi for offences contrary to Section 142(1)(a)(b) and 168(1) (d) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State as 12 out of 19 suspects bagged 8 months imprisonment while 7 others who pleaded not guilty were remanded in prison custody until December 18 for further hearing,” statement noted.

‪While praising the judgement, Cole insisted that despite the attacks recorded towards operatives in the line of duty, the Agency remains undeterred by the acts of these shameful elements, stressing that any arrested defaulter will be made to face the full wrath of the law. ‬

‪”The KAI top man also read the riot act to street traders, and hawkers to refrain from the display of wares for sale on setbacks, lay-bys, medians, road verges, kerbs, and gutter slabs just as he enjoined pedestrians alike to make use of the pedestrian bridges when crossing highways as defaulters will be arrested on a daily and made to face prosecution for endangering their lives,” the remark concluded.