The Lagos State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences Unit, yesterday, vowed to apprehend and prosecute anyone accused of operating an unlicensed vehicle mart in an unapproved area of the state.
At the agency’s offices in the state’s Bolade Oshodi region, Chief Superintendent of Police Shola Jejeloye, the agency’s chairman, revealed this.
Jejeloye voiced alarm over the frequency and manner in which car sellers have turned gardens, walks, lay-bys, and other unauthorised locations into car lots. He pointed out that these conversions were not included in the state government’s initial master plan.
The task force boss, who described the action of some dealers and transport operators as “inconsiderate,” noted that the act is capable of jeopardizing the safety, serenity, beautification exercise and greener Lagos initiative of Lagos State Government for their selfish gains.
Jejeloye said: “It is time we put a stop to this unruly behaviour and environmental impunity of converting every available public space to personal use by some car dealers.
“Walkways, road setback, lay-bys are meant and created to cater for pedestrians’ movement and other public use but nowadays you see cars parked on them with kegs placed on top indicating they are for sale.
“This is wrong and we are here to put a final stop to it. Cars for sale should be parked at approved car lots and not by the roadside or walkways.
“We have it on good authority that car dealers are now fond of using one registered number plate for private use to evade other vehicles’ particulars.
“Some unscrupulous elements in the society use car dealer number plates to perpetrate criminal acts in the state which they believe would not be traced to them as the vehicle used during the criminal act is different from the vehicle it placed on the following day.
“I urge the auto dealers not to take residents for granted by denying them their right to make use of public amenities built with taxpayers’ money by obstructing the free flow of movement.”
