Lagos — This is not the best of time for dealers of pornographic films. Since Monday, the Lagos State Task Force on Environment and Special Offence (Enforcement Unit) has begun an offensive against them.

They are being smoked out of their holes and arrested while their illicit products are confiscated. The action followed an executive pronouncement by the Lagos State Government prohibiting the display of the products in the state.

As the operation kicked off on Monday, the task force first place of call was Ikeja where several pornographies were seized. It then moved to Alaba International Market, which is reputed to be the central market for such 'dangerous' items. True to the reputation of the market, some men were caught in the act when the task force men got there.

They were said to be reproducing the product through a process which is known in music and film as 'dubbing'. Because the illicit business is booming for them, regardless of the negative and destructive influences it is creating among the youths, the 'businessmen' dared the task force official to a duel. They attacked them and so frustrated efforts to clean the market of the society-decaying and mind corrupting items. The chairman of the market was said to have been infuriated that the task force men came into the market without his approval, saying he rules the market like a 'republic'. But then, it is certain that the traders may have just postponed the doomsday, despite the suspecting subtle cover they allegedly got from some quarters since an individual or a group of individuals cannot be bigger than the government.

On Tuesday, it was the turn of another notorious spot in Lagos, the popular Obalende, where pornographic films are about the most common among items on display at the expansive motor park while on Wednesday, the enforcement wind blew across Agege area of the state. Thursday was dedicated to Yaba, axis, another hot spot for the illicit business. The task force confiscated assorted porno materials while six suspects were arrested at Ojuegba. Today will definitely be the turn of another 'bad spot'. Yes, there are many of them, Apapa, Oshodi, Mushin, to mention but a few. So far, products running into thousands of Naira have been seized since the operation started on Monday and not less than 15 persons are now behind bar. They will be assisting the task force on information gathering concerning the network of production and distribution of the films.

The worry of the state government about the danger posed by porno films to the moral upbringing of the young ones in the society was confirmed during the operation at Obalende as students were seen patronising them.

Investigations however revealed that following the ongoing onslaught, many of the pirates and sellers of the bad product are trying to go into their cocoon hoping that the heat will soon be over.

But the Chairman of the task force, Bayo Sulaiman, said they must be living in fantasyland. According to him, the war is one that must be won to save the society and the future of the young ones in particular. He lamented the negative effects the incessant exposure must have caused to the impressionable minds who are assaulted every now and then with porno films at different spots in the state. He however assured that since the war has the governor's backing; it would be intensified until there will no hiding place for the sellers across the state.

The Police officer maintained that his office is ready to work round the clock to ensure that those area cleansed are no more desecrated and therefore advised the general public to assist the task force by giving it necessary information concerning the activities of the syndicates behind the porno markets.

"We want people who have information about any place where people go against the order to come out with the information", he said stressing that his men would promptly move in there to arrest the culprits.

So far, encomiums have continued to pour in for the state government's move even as some people said the operation could have even commenced before now. They maintained that the indecent exposure has done irreparable damage to the sensibilities of the young ones.

"I guess it has so much corrupted many of our young girls to the extent that I can say the ongoing operation is somehow late but it is a good thing that the government has decided to stop the mess", said Martins Adeyemi, a businessman living in Oril-Iganmu who suggested that anyone caught should be made to face the wrath of the law.

Some analysts have even suggested that the battle should be taken to cyber cafes saying they are other outlets that are patronized by young boys and girls to watch obscenities. They advised that government should make it an offence for any cybercafe to allow such activities take place.

"You never know this young school girls, their best sites once they go to cybercafe are porn sites. They can spend hours watching them" said a man who said he has witnessed such thing many times at cybercafes.

The Lagos State government on May 29 made an executive order prohibiting the sales, broadcasting and display of pornographic materials in open places.