The Lagos State Government yesterday promised to intensify mass arrest of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) members who are extorting motorists on highways, even as the 46 hoodlums earlier arrested will continue their 50-hour community service sentence today.
It was learnt that those arrested may wash toilets and sweep public places for several hours as punishment for constituting nuisance to the public peace.
Speaking with National Mirror yesterday, Chairman of Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences Unit, Mr. Bayo Sulaimon, said the taskforce would begin the enforcement on the ban of activities of the union members on highways.
He said: “We have declared war against Agbero again; we will not allow them to take over the state. We have flushed them out and they are coming back and we will flush them out again. In the next few hours now, more of them will be arrested. We are moving to different places to arrest more of them. Soon, we will move to other areas in the state. With this arrest, we are passing a message to others. Their leaders should call them to order.”
On the 46 hoodlums (Agbero) arrested and sentenced to 50- hour community service, Sulaimon said they would remain in the police custody until they reach the 50-hour term.
He said: “There is growing cases of Agbero terrorising people during traffic hours and causing traffic jam on most axis. The 46 of them arrested have begun serving community service sentence. They will serve the sentence by washing public toilets and sweeping of public places. We will now be taking them to their areas to wash toilets or sweep the market and parks where they have been doing area father. With this, we are simply telling them to repent.
“The serving of the punishment is at the discretion of the court and the Ministry of Justice. If we say they should serve 50- hour service at once, some of them may slump in the process. So, they will spend few hours and continue again the next day.”
Sulaimon, however, said that taskforce officials used under-cover vehicles while going after the hoodlums.
Stressing that the government embarked on the move to rid the state of hoodlums who collect dues outside motor parks, he added that a knife was recovered from one of those arrested.
Sulaimon said: “Collection of dues outside motor parks must stop.”
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