Lagos Arrests 12 Over Illegal Waste Disposal as Sanitation Crackdown Intensifies

(Waste disposal. Photo Credit: The Wistlers News)

The Lagos State Government has arrested 12 suspected environmental offenders in separate enforcement operations carried out across Lagos Island, Yaba and Ikorodu, as part of intensified efforts to tackle indiscriminate waste disposal and other environmental breaches.

The arrests were carried out by the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, in collaboration with the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, Corps, as part of the state’s ongoing push to improve sanitation and enforce compliance with waste management laws.

LAWMA’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the agency’s Project WISE Enforcement Team apprehended 11 suspects during surveillance operations on Lagos Island and around the Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH, area, for offences ranging from indiscriminate waste disposal to illegal scavenging and other environmental violations.

Those arrested were identified as Onasanya Josphine, Godspower, Lucky Osaigie, Goodness John, Rasheed Abass, Yaya Cidi, Abubakar Amosu, Monday Lawal, Sanni A. Sanni, Opere Badmus and Usman Nasir.

Gbadegesin said the suspects have since been taken into custody and will be prosecuted in accordance with Lagos State’s environmental laws.

In a separate operation in Ikorodu, the LAWMA boss said KAI Corps operatives arrested a school security guard, identified as John Ehidreme, after a concerned resident reportedly caught him emptying waste bin contents into a drainage channel located in front of the school where he worked.

He too has been taken into custody and is expected to face prosecution under relevant environmental regulations.

Gbadegesin commended the resident whose report led to the arrest, describing it as an example of the kind of public participation needed to achieve a cleaner environment, and urged other residents to follow suit by reporting environmental offenders through appropriate government channels, stressing that environmental protection is a shared responsibility.

He condemned the indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainage channels, road medians, sidewalks and other unauthorised areas, warning that such practices block drainage systems, heighten flood risks, degrade the environment and pose serious public health hazards.

The LAWMA chief said the latest arrests form part of the state government’s continued enforcement strategy to eliminate environmental violations, strengthen compliance with waste management laws, and safeguard public health, adding that surveillance and enforcement operations would continue statewide through collaboration between environmental and security agencies to ensure offenders are identified and prosecuted.

He urged residents, businesses and institutions to patronise only their designated Private Sector Participants, PSPs, for waste collection, adhere to approved disposal practices, and report violations through official channels, reaffirming the state government’s commitment to building a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Lagos through sustained enforcement, public awareness and stronger stakeholder collaboration.