LAGOS—THE Lagos State
Government has sealed up a popular hotel around Agric area of Ikorodu
Local Government over illegal and criminal activities, even as it shut
the ponmo (animal skin) processing section of the Oko-Oba Abattoir and
Lairage Complex, Agege over health concerns.
It will be recalled that in the renewed war against upsurge in criminal
activities, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, few days ago vowed to impound any
building or property found to be harboring suspected militants,
pipeline vandals and other criminals in the state.
Ambode, in a statement yesterday, through Commissioner for Information
and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, said: “We urge members of the public
not to allow any building to be used to harbor criminals or serve as a
base for criminal activities.
Recent security investigations in the Ikorodu area of the state have
revealed that the hotel has been associated with illegal and criminal
activities and the Lagos State government has accordingly decided to
seal up the hotel until further notice. Government will immediately
reinforce the presence of security agents in and around Ikorodu axis to
further reassure residents of the determination of the government to
safeguard lives and properties in the area.”
Agege Abattoir
In Agege, the government through the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr.
Toyin Suarau, who led a team of the ministry officials and men of the
Lagos State Task Force to Oko-Oba Abattoir and Lairage Complex, said
the closure became necessary because of the health hazard posed by
activities of the processors who burnt cow skin with tyres.
Suarua explained: “I wish to make it clear that that the use of tyres
for cow skin processing has been reported to the state government
sometimes ago and has been dealt with but the return to this unhygienic
method of processing in the complex leaves much to be desired. This is
why this section of the complex had to be closed.
”The activities of these ‘Ponmo’ processors constitute a health risk not
only to inhabitants of the complex but to residents of adjoining
communities and to the processors themselves. Also, the health effect of
burning tyres alone are enormous let alone it use in the processing of
human food.
“Burning tyres releases a toxic soup of pollutants with hundreds of the
different toxic pollutants and tremendous number of small particles
settling deep in the lungs while airborne emissions from open tire fires
have long been suspected of representing a serious impact to health and
the environment.”
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