The Lagos State Government has said it will issue warrants of arrest and prosecute persons who permanently keep their street gates shut during and after the festive period.

The General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr Olalekan Bakare, disclosed this in a statement through the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Mr Taofiq Adebayo, in Lagos, on Sunday.

Bakare said that the government had warned landlords and various Community Development Associations (CDAs) to comply with regulations, directing that all interlink roads should be accessible on daily basis across the state.

He stated that street gate closure and non-conformity with directives on the closure of estate/street gates might lead to issuing warrant of arrest and prosecution of representatives of non-complying communities, where necessary.

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Bakare said that those acting contrary to street gate regulations were posing a great security threat to the government’s resolve to achieve a safe and secure environment.

“They are advised to desist from the unwholesome acts,” he said.

Bakare said that the policy on street gates was meant to enable easy access for residents and all road users in the state.

He said that the act of denying motorists and pedestrians access through the various community gates before the stipulated time was totally unacceptable to the state government.

“Traffic Officers have been facing serious challenges in diverting motorists to alternative routes through nearby streets because these streets are gated.

“The illegal closure of these gates, some of which are feeder roads to connect highways, also contributes to the activities of criminally minded individuals who indulge in dispossessing residents of their belongings.

“The street gate closure is thereby making it difficult for security agencies come to the rescue of victims or apprehend the perpetrators.

“The act of partial or permanent closure of gates in violation of the regulations of the state affects businesses, encourages miscreants to take advantage of residents and get away with their belongings.

“In case of fire outbreak, the community affected will not be easily accessible by the rescue teams,” Bakare said.

He said that activities of the affected communities had further made free vehicular movement difficult in those restricted areas where roads leading to the closed gates were inaccessible to the motoring public.