The Ogun State Waste Management Authority has sealed Dahua Paper Company Limited, Owiwi Village, near Obada-Oko, Abeokuta, for allegedly operating an illegal dumpsite and burning waste.

The authority said the company violated the state’s Environmental and Public Health Law 2006 and Section 2(b)(a) of the OGWAMA Law 2020, which prohibit open burning of waste by individuals and corporate organisations.

PUNCH Metro learnt in a statement on Tuesday that the enforcement followed months of monitoring and intelligence gathering by the authority.

Leading the enforcement team to seal the company, the Special Adviser to the Governor and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Faruk Akintunde, said the company was allegedly caught operating an illegal dumpsite opposite its factory, where waste was dumped and burnt.

He said the authority’s findings showed that the company’s waste disposal activities posed a threat to nearby communities and water sources.

“To confirm our intelligence report about them, the company was found operating at the illegal dumpsite, pushing the waste to a river at the end of the dumpsite, thereby contaminating the water bodies and polluting the underground water, as the river serves nearby villages, hence putting the health of villagers in danger,” he said.

The director added that the company allegedly used lorries to dispose of waste at the illegal dumpsite, which were also found at the site and seized by the authority.

“Aside from these, two lorries used by the company to dump their waste at the illegal dumpsites were also caught on site and have equally been confiscated,” he said.

Akintunde said the company would remain sealed and face the full weight of the law over the alleged environmental violations.

He warned individuals and organisations involved in operating illegal dumpsites or burning waste to desist and register with OGWAMA for proper waste disposal.

“Those who are in the habit of operating illegal dumpsites or involved in waste burning should desist forthwith and register with the Ogun State Waste Management Authority for proper disposal of their waste or wait till the long arm of the law catches up with them,” he added.

The sealing came about three weeks after PUNCH Metro reported on July 12 that the OGWAMA had warned market leaders and traders against turning markets into illegal dumpsites, threatening to shut down markets that violated waste management regulations.

Akintunde issued the warning after the evacuation of long-standing waste dumps at Farmers’ Market on Solu Road, Ifo, and Mamu Market in Ifo and Ijebu North Local Government Areas.