By Olasunkanmi Akoni

LAGOS — The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has prosecuted at least 280 persons for alleged indiscriminate waste disposal across the state in the last six months as part of efforts to enforce environmental sanitation laws.

The Managing Director of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this on Tuesday at a media parley on the activities of the agency, held at its headquarters in the Ijora Olopa area of Lagos.

Gbadegesin said the prosecutions, which resulted in convictions, followed increased surveillance, public complaints and targeted enforcement operations in markets, roadsides, canals and residential areas identified as locations for illegal waste disposal.

According to him, the offenders were prosecuted for offences including dumping waste on highways and road medians, open defecation and disposing of refuse in drainage channels between February and July 2026.

He said the enforcement was part of the Lagos State Government’s efforts to improve environmental sanitation and public health.

“We cannot build a 21st-century economy with 20th-century waste habits. The era of dumping refuse on roads and into canals is over.

“These prosecutions are a clear warning that environmental laws will be enforced without exception,” he said.

Gbadegesin said, alongside enforcement, LAWMA had intensified public enlightenment and community engagement to educate residents on proper waste disposal and the dangers posed by blocked drainage channels, particularly during the rainy season.

He added that the agency was working with community leaders, market associations and Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators to improve waste collection services and address locations where inadequate collection could contribute to indiscriminate dumping.

LAWMA warned that persons convicted of environmental offences could face fines, community service and, where applicable, imprisonment in accordance with the law.

The agency said its enforcement teams would continue patrols across the state’s 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas.

“Proper waste management is a shared responsibility. We urge Lagosians to patronise assigned PSP operators, use designated waste bins and desist from acts that endanger public health and the environment,” Gbadegesin said.

He reiterated LAWMA’s commitment to sustaining its enforcement and public enlightenment campaigns and urged residents to report cases of indiscriminate waste disposal through the agency’s official reporting channels.