A 52-year-old man, Morufudeen Idowu, who recently returned from Canada, has been sentenced to three months in prison for assaulting an official of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, also known as KAI.
The incident happened at Ojota, Lagos, during a routine enforcement exercise to stop illegal road crossing.
According to the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, Idowu attacked the KAI officer who stopped him from crossing the busy expressway instead of using the pedestrian bridge.
“Following the arrest of Mr Morufudeen Idowu, who assaulted one of our personnel and refused arrest while crossing the expressway at Ojota, he was arraigned before the Magistrate Court sitting at Oshodi and sentenced to three months imprisonment,” Wahab posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle.
The assault took place near the Ojota pedestrian bridge, a known black spot for pedestrian accidents. Officials say many people still risk their lives by running across the highway instead of using the footbridge.
Wahab explained that the KAI officers were on duty to protect lives by enforcing safety rules. He said the government will not tolerate attacks on its staff.
“Let this serve as a warning to others. Assaulting government officials is a serious offence, and the law will take its full course,” Wahab added.
Mr Idowu was taken to court shortly after the incident. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced by a Magistrate sitting in Oshodi.
