Barely 48 hours after the Lagos State Government issued a stern warning against environmental violations, a Magistrate Court sitting in Oshodi has remanded five individuals — including a 75-year-old man — in Kirikiri Correctional Centre for illegally dumping waste into a canal.
The suspects were apprehended while offloading refuse into the canal along the Igando-Iba Road Link Bridge. They were arraigned on Thursday and ordered to be remanded in custody pending trial. The court adjourned the case to July 9.
The Lagos State Environmental Task Force, Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), arrested the suspects, identified as:
Quassim Jamiu (44) – Kwara State
Ayo Jamiu (18) – Kwara State
Alexander Innocent (40) – Akwa Ibom State
Oparinde Taiwo (55) – Ogun State
Moses Adelowokan (76) – Osun State.
According to officials, the suspects were caught red-handed while conveying refuse in a lorry and attempting to dump it into the canal.
The state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, who had earlier warned against environmental infractions during a media briefing ahead of the Eid-al-Adha celebrations, reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance stance.
“No one will be spared — regardless of age, status, religion, or gender. We will ensure full prosecution to deter others who flout our environmental laws,” Wahab said.
He emphasized that violators risk three months’ imprisonment or a fine of N250,000, stressing that the government has made proper waste disposal accessible through Private Sector Partnership (PSP) operators assigned to every ward in Lagos State.
Wahab urged residents to make use of these legal channels for waste evacuation and warned those contemplating illegal dumping to desist or face the full weight of the law.
