The Lagos State Government has apprehended about 30 environmental offenders, for improper disposal of waste and flagrant disregard of the environmental laws of the state, pending their arraignment before a magistrate court next Monday.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, Folashade Kadiri, on Saturday.
According to the statement, the action is in continuation of the state’s zero-tolerance policy, involving a combined team of LAWMA and the state Environmental Sanitation Corps.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the arrest and subsequent prosecution of defaulters who engage in indiscriminate waste disposal showed it was no longer business as usual.
He added that the state government could not fold its hands and watch people derail efforts to maintain sanity in the city.
Wahab also noted that the era of people hiding under the guise of darkness to dump waste at unauthorised locations was over, warning that anyone caught would be prosecuted. This, according to him, would serve as a deterrent and warning to others.
The LAWMA Managing Director, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, also urged households to imbibe the habit of sorting their wastes at source, segregating them into recyclables and non-recyclables, as well as utilising designated waste bins recommended by LAWMA.
He added that it would help reduce the menace of indiscriminate waste dumping, defacing the cityscape.
