By Correspondent in Lagos
LAGOS State Government has threatened to seal a dredging site at Ade-Odo near Aja-Badore, Ibeju Lekki Local Council Development Area citing the site becoming a hideout for criminals for the threat.
The Chairman, Ministry of Environment Taskforce, Mr Shola Gegeloye, gave the threat during enforcement operation when he noted that the area had become high-risk.
He expressed regret that the task force had not been able to arrest any of the criminals using the place as a hideout, adding that they must be caught in the act.
“We must make our intention known that, this place is not a place to turn to `The Banana Republic’ where anything goes.
“This Ade-Odo sand dredging site is just one kilometre to the main road and more than 100 trucks visit the dredging site every 30 minutes.
“We want the Commissioner for Mineral Resources to come and address the issue; they will relocate the dredgers, because the major concern is that they use the place as criminal hideout,’’ he said.
Gegeloye,who inspected the site with the officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, noted that there were lots of shanties built on the lagoon from Ade-Odo in Aja to Badore Waterfront.
He also observed that sand dredging had done a lot of damage to facilities such as roads and the environment.
He said revenue collected by the Lagos State government at the site, on daily basis, was infinitesimal compared to damages sand dredging had done to the state.
Gegeloye also decried the traffic snarl in the area, where motorists spent more than five hours covering a distance of one kilometre.
