Lagos Taskforce Disperses Illegal Street Party, Warns Against Using Roads as Event Venues

Lagos Taskforce Disperses Illegal Street Party, Warns Against Using Roads as Event Venues

The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, popularly known as the Taskforce, has dispersed an unauthorised street party on Lawani Street, off University Road, Yaba, warning residents against converting public roads into private event centres.

The enforcement operation followed intelligence reports that one lane of the road had been blocked with canopies, chairs and other items for a private anniversary celebration, causing traffic disruption along the route, which currently serves as an alternative corridor due to ongoing road construction in the area.

Chairman of the Lagos State Taskforce, CSP Adetayo Akerele, who led the operation, said officers removed the barricades and confiscated items used to obstruct the roadway, restoring free flow of traffic.

Akerele condemned the increasing trend of using public roads for social events, stressing that such actions inconvenience commuters and violate existing laws.
"Public roads are constructed for the benefit of all Lagosians and must not be converted into private event spaces. 

Anyone found obstructing traffic or blocking public roads for social activities will face the full weight of the law," he said.
He urged residents planning social gatherings to use designated event centres or obtain the necessary approvals where applicable, warning that the Taskforce would continue to clamp down on offenders.

The Taskforce chairman also appealed to members of the public to report activities capable of obstructing roads, threatening public safety or degrading the environment through the agency's emergency lines or official social media platforms.
He reaffirmed the agency's commitment to enforcing environmental and traffic regulations to ensure order, safety and free movement across Lagos.