The Lagos Waste Management Authority has arrested a resident of Meiran, Lagos State, for allegedly dumping refuse into a drainage channel during rainfall.
The arrest was carried out by a joint enforcement team comprising LAWMA, the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, popularly known as KAI, and mobile police officers attached to the team.
According to LAWMA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the suspect, a resident of Lanre Adefiranye Street, Baale Bus Stop, Meiran, was arrested after the enforcement team received a tip-off about the alleged act on Wednesday, September 9.
Gbadegesin disclosed the arrest in a post on his official X account, saying the suspect was apprehended at the location and taken to the KAI headquarters for further prosecution. He warned residents against disposing of waste indiscriminately, particularly in drainage channels.
The LAWMA chief said dumping refuse in drains could obstruct the flow of stormwater and contribute to flooding. The arrest comes amid intensified enforcement by the Lagos State Government and LAWMA against indiscriminate waste disposal across the state.
In July, 16 people were sentenced to four months’ imprisonment each by the Oshodi Special Offences and Mobile Court for offences including indiscriminate waste disposal and dumping refuse at unauthorised locations. Earlier that month, the state government also arrested a 56-year-old man for allegedly dumping refuse into a drainage channel in Ikorodu.
The enforcement campaign has also targeted businesses and markets, with LAWMA sealing shops along the Tejuosho-Ojuelegba corridor in August over alleged indiscriminate waste disposal. The agency has continued to urge Lagos residents to comply with waste disposal regulations, particularly during the rainy season, to help keep drainage channels clear and reduce flooding risks.
