A property owner in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has petitioned Governor Dapo Abiodun over alleged threats to his life, environmental degradation, and forceful occupation of his building frontage by street traders and commercial motorcyclists.
The petition, written on behalf of Mr. Adeyanju Boladale Emmanuel of Kemta Olokuta Junction, Abeokuta, by Folaiyanu Nigeria Enterprises, accused street traders and okada riders of turning his property into a hub of indiscriminate trading, open defecation, and noise pollution.
According to the petition dated December 2022 but reinforced with fresh complaints, the traders and riders allegedly pour refuse into the house’s gutter, defecate and urinate by the entrance, and operate in a manner that has disfigured and polluted the premises.
The landlord claimed he had written petitions to the Commissioner for Environment, the Ogun State Police Commissioner, and TRACE Corps on December 6 and 28, 2022. Following the petitions, officials of the Ministry of Environment reportedly dislodged the encroachers on December 21, 2022.
However, to his dismay, Emmanuel alleged that the traders and riders returned shortly after, acting on the instruction of a councillor representing the area, who allegedly directed them to “apportion spaces” in front of his property.
The petition partly read:
“The street traders and okada riders constitute a huge source of noise pollution and environmental nuisance to the occupants of the house. Despite government intervention, they were allegedly reinstated by a political directive, which has worsened the threats to my client’s health and peace of mind.”
The petitioner urged Governor Abiodun to wade into the matter urgently to prevent further health hazards or possible breach of peace between the illegal occupants and the residents.
Copies of earlier petitions acknowledged by relevant authorities and photographic evidence of the alleged environmental nuisance were attached to the petition.
The petition was also copied to the Commissioner for Environment and the Commissioner of Police in Ogun State.
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