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Task force raids Computer Village

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on May 28, 2009 at 3:14pm
Armed policemen and men of the Kick Against Indiscipline squad, under the auspices of Lagos State Special Task Force (Environmental Unit) on Wednesday raided the Computer Village, Ikeja, and arrested traders selling on the streets.The task force also impounded the traders' goods and took them to their office at Alausa.Our correspondent learnt that as at 3p.m. on Wednesday, the task force members were still patrolling every part of the market to ensure compliance.A shop owner, Mr. Chinonso Valentine, said that the cost of acquiring shops in the market was very expensive, as landlords had allegedly given their shops to developers who charged them exorbitantly.According to him, a shop at the computer village costs nothing less than N2.5m to acquire, stressing that the amount is for only two years.He said because of the high cost of procuring shops at the market, many people who could not do so resorted to selling on the street.He also said that it was not easy to get land space on the street as miscreants, landlords and council officials cashed in on their predicament to exploit them.He said that each trader paid about N80,000 to mount a show-glass.Another trader, who did not want his name in print, appealed to the government to provide a place for them, saying that displacing them without rehabilitating them would do more harm than good.He asked, "Now that they don't want us to sell here, what else do they want us to do? Does the government want us to steal? How do they want us to survive? The earlier they address our problem, the better."The Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Environmental Task Force, Tayo Afagba, confirmed the raid, saying that the traders had been warned many times to stop selling on the streets.Afagba said that in December 2008, the market was shut down because of the same incident, yet the traders had refused to learn.The PRO, who said that the raiding started on Tuesday, stressed that government was against street trading in Lagos, as it obstructed vehicular and human traffic as well as engendering social vices.
Tags: Computer, Task, Village, force, raids
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