• KAI advocates stiffer punishment as deterrent

There is growing worry about removal of slabs covering drainages by scavengers to extract the iron rods. The Guardian observed that many drainage covers on the roads have been stolen or vandalised.

The scavengers typically gather at different locations at night, equipped with hammers, chisels and other tools. They resell the extracted iron rods as scrap metal. This issue has resulted in numerous accidents and even deaths, especially in flood-prone areas.

Many have called for a tech-driven and intelligence-based security approach to combat this crime, as slabs covering drainages on the Oshodi-Mile 2 Expressway have been broken by vandals. Slabs in areas without street lights are particularly vulnerable.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, also known as Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), Lukman Ajayi, stated: “Those arrested are often easily released instead of them receiving the appropriate punishment. We recently arrested eight individuals who were only ordered to carry out community service. ‬

“The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, is in discussion with the Commissioner for Justice and the Chief Judge in the state to review and amend the law if necessary.”

According to him, the scavengers often have financial backers. “So, they do not act alone or remove the rods to sell cheaply. ‬

“Our officers were injured in the Command area while trying to arrest a scavenger for removing a manhole cover. But a man intervened, preventing the officers from apprehending the perpetrator, giving him the chance to escape. However, the man was later arrested in his place. We are making efforts to improve the situation, but stiffer punishment is essential,” Ajayi concluded.