LAWMA Arrests 300 In CrackDown Against Illegal Waste Dumping
In a sweeping crackdown on environmental violations, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has arrested more than 300 individuals for illegal waste disposal across the city.
The operation, carried out in partnership with the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), is part of a renewed push to enforce sanitation laws and combat reckless waste dumping, particularly at night.
In a statement on Tuesday, LAWMA’s Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed that many of the culprits have already been prosecuted, with some sentenced to community service.
He emphasized that these actions aim to deter those undermining the city’s cleanliness efforts.
“Our night surveillance and enforcement team, working with LAGESC, has apprehended over 300 people for various waste-related infractions. Many have already been charged to court and many sentenced to community service. This will serve as a deterrent to those bent on derailing efforts of the Authority to sustain cleanliness of the environment, ” he said.
Among the offenders was one Engr. Akinsola, arrested around 9:20pm on February 7 along Egbeda-Akowonjo Road. Caught dumping refuse on a road median, Akinsola falsely claimed to be a police officer.
Investigations revealed that his residence had no waste bin and was not registered with a Private Sector Participant (PSP) for proper disposal. He confessed to acting on his landlord’s orders and is currently facing legal action.
In another operation on Shasha Road, 25 individuals, including six car owners, were nabbed for dumping large quantities of waste at the fence of Abati Primary School.
Similarly, a woman identified as Fatima was caught on February 5 near Micom Bus Stop dumping refuse late at night. She, too, was unregistered with a PSP and is now being prosecuted.
These cases reveal the scale of illegal dumping, especially at night, with offenders often blaming ignorance or their landlords, Gbadegesin noted.
He cited Section 82(1) of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, which prohibits waste dumping in unauthorized locations such as road medians, drains, and canals. Offenders risk fines starting from N25,000 or jail time, as outlined in Section 109 of the same law.
The LAWMA boss stressed that the authority is committed to making Lagos cleaner and safer, and will intensify enforcement efforts across the state.
“Our goal is to prevent avoidable issues like flooding and disease outbreaks. We can’t achieve this without the support of the people. Environmental protection is everyone’s responsibility, this is the era of, “See something, Say something” he said.
He added that LAWMA is investing in public sensitisation campaigns, encouraging residents to use PSP services, own waste bins under the “Adopt A Bin” program, and report erring neighbours and landlords.
LAWMA Arrests 300 In CrackDown Against Illegal Waste Dumping is first published on The Whistler Newspaper