Magistrate S.A. Adefioye of the Lagos Special Offences (Mobile) Court, Bolade-Oshodi, yesterday, sentenced 15 out of 17 homeless persons apprehended by the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) for obstructing pedestrians on the Bolade-Oshodi pedestrian bridge.

The convicts were sentenced to three months behind bars without an option of fine.

They were convicted on a two-count charge bordering on breach of the peace and unlawful conversion of government property to use by occupation.

The Magistrate, however, remanded two others who pleaded not guilty to the charge in custody and adjourned till March 19, for hearing.

Reacting, Corps Marshal of the agency, Major Olatunbosun Olaniyi Cole (rtd), said the conviction was a right step in the right direction.

“They have caused irreparable havoc to Lagosians in transit by harassing men, women and dispossessing them of their valuables. This forces people to risk their lives by crossing the highways,” he said.

Cole pledged to sustain Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s agenda, geared towards making Lagos habitable for business through the promotion of general environmental cleanliness.

He also called on sellers and buyers of styrofoam food packs to desist as enforcement, which began on Monday, has resulted in multiple seizures by operatives of the agency across the state.

He warned those engaged in street trading and hawking to desist from breaching the state’s environmental laws, saying there would be consequences for defaulters.

Cole also admonished residents to have a valid waste collection contract with an approved operator, to foster appropriate refuse disposal, enhance prompt settlement of waste bills, and avoid prosecution.