Lagos Govt Reaffirms Zero Tolerance for Illegal Waste Dumping as Mobile Court Convicts Offender
The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on indiscriminate waste disposal following the conviction of a 48-year-old man, Makinde Rasaq, by a Special Offences Mobile Court sitting in Oshodi.
The court on Monday sentenced the offender to 13 months of community service after he pleaded guilty to multiple environmental offences, including breach of peace, illegal dumping of refuse, non-patronage of Private Sector Partnership (PSP) waste operators, unauthorized transportation of waste without a valid licence, and obstruction of government officials in the discharge of their duties.
Makinde was apprehended while conveying refuse in a Honda SUV and was caught dumping waste at the Tinubu Fountain area in Central Lagos on Saturday night.
The court ordered that all the sentences be served as community service at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, bringing the total duration to 13 months.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the convict is suspected to be part of a syndicate allegedly engaged in deliberately dumping waste in public places to undermine the state’s environmental sanitation efforts.
He was initially detained at the Adeniji Adele Police Station before being handed over to officers of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) brigade for arraignment by legal officers from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.
Commenting on the conviction, the Managing Director of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, described the ruling as a clear demonstration of the government’s resolve to enforce environmental laws across the state.
“This conviction is a declaration that Lagos will not tolerate illegal dumping,” Gbadegesin said.
He called on residents to support the government’s waste management framework by disposing of refuse only through LAWMA-accredited PSP operators, in line with existing environmental regulations.
“Waste generation is unavoidable, but residents must patronize PSP operators to ensure effective waste management and maintain a clean city,” he added.
