The Lagos State Government has again urged Lagos residents to cooperate with environmental officers as they serve the common good for the citizenry.

The Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello made this known while addressing journalists in his office recently over the alleged unlawful act of the Sunrise Cathedral Church located at 25 Oluwaseyi Street in Ikotun area of Lagos metropolis which hampered duties of officers from the Ministry of the Environment.

According to him, “Upon the receipt of complaints on noise pollution from the church, our officers had gone to carry out monitoring exercise in the premises with a view to encouraging abatement of the nuisance. However, the pastor of the church and his wife not only prevented them from carrying out official assignment, but manhandled and locked them up for over to three hours.

“If not for the wisdom of the driver who called and informed the office, these officers would have remained in the church custody for longer hours. It took the intervention of the Task Force on Environmental Offences to secure their release”, Bello noted.

The commissioner who emphasised that the state government would not tolerate environmental abuses , urged all to carry out their businesses and activities with respect for the rights of others.

For the erring Sunrise Cathedral, he said that the church would be made to respect the laws as no individual or organization had the right to take the laws into their own hands, adding that “We all have the right to our environment as well as to the good health and well-being of our neighbours.

He therefore urged all Lagos residents to ensure compliance with environmental laws and cooperate with officers from the ministry as doing this, is in their interest.