By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as KAI, has rescued four nursing mothers and their babies from an illegal dumpsite in the Agboju area of the state.
The agency disclosed the rescue in a statement posted on its X handle on Tuesday, August 11, by the Corps Marshal of LAGESC, Major Olaniyi Cole (retd.).
The statement added that the rescue was carried out on Monday during an ongoing inter-agency cleanup of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway corridor.
Cole said the cleanup, which had been ongoing for weeks, was aimed at removing environmental infractions and hindrances along the corridor.
According to him, the operatives discovered young nursing mothers living in inhumane conditions at illegal dumpsites and shanties, prompting the agency to rescue them and provide medical assistance.
“The inter-agency cleanup of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which has been ongoing for weeks now, is aimed at removing infractions and hindrances on that corridor, which has been successful.
“But, to our utter amazement, we discovered that there are young nursing mothers living in inhumane conditions in these illegal dumpsites and shanties, hence the need to rescue them, offer medical assistance before reuniting them with their families or the welfare authorities,” Cole said.
The agency’s Corps Marshal described the rescue as necessary to prevent loss of life, citing the condition of the women and the babies found in the area who were living amid filth, poor air quality and hunger.
The rescued women were identified as Fareedat Muyideen, 23, from Kwara State, with her two-year-old baby; Ayomide Ayomoke, 25, from Ondo State, with her 10-month-old baby; Amanda Oziema Abalihi, 20, from Anambra State, with her nine-day-old baby; and Chisom Ugo, 24, from Imo State, with her 11-month-old baby.
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The Corps Marshal appealed to the families of the women who might be searching for them to come forward, saying they were receiving medical attention and would be discharged when they were medically fit.
Cole also said LAGESC was working with relevant agencies to ensure the women’s rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
He urged parents to monitor their children, noting that some young people had been found to have left home for the streets due to alleged maltreatment.
Cole reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s position against child abuse and warned that parents and guardians found culpable of neglect and abuse could face prosecution.
