The Federal Government has shut down True Metals Nigeria Limited, a battery recycling company in the Ogijo community of Ogun State, following an investigation by PREMIUM TIMES and The Examination, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates global health threats.
The investigation, conducted in partnership with leading newsrooms in Africa, including Joy FM, Pambazuko, and Truth Reporting Post, revealed unsafe working conditions and widespread lead contamination in Ogijo, a community situated on the border between Lagos and Ogun states.
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According to a statement from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the enforcement action was carried out on Monday by the Minister of State, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, who said the administration will no longer tolerate employers exposing Nigerians to deadly hazards.
During an inspection of True Metals, the battery-recycling plant at the centre of the investigation, the minister found workers operating in what she described as “hazardous and dehumanising conditions.”
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Officials observed unprotected exposure to lead fumes, poor sanitation, and the absence of basic safety systems, issues long reported by workers and residents and recently confirmed through independent scientific testing commissioned by PREMIUM TIMES, The Examination and partners
“That you are giving our people jobs does not warrant putting their lives at risk,” she said. “We cannot say we are creating jobs while we are killing our people. There is no price for life. Every Nigerian deserves a safe and dignified working environment.”
The minister ordered the factory shut until it meets full Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) requirements.
The minister also ordered the shutdown of Phoenix Steel Mills Limited, another company operating in the community. Mrs Onyejeocha said she was unable to conduct an internal inspection because the factory’s access roads were unsafe and overrun with stagnant water, a clear violation of the Factory Act.
“If the internal roads of a factory are not passable for humans, we can imagine what is inside. Such conditions show disregard for both workers and basic safety standards,” she said.
The facility was also shut pending remediation and a future inspection.
Speaking after the enforcement exercise, the minister condemned the widespread mistreatment of workers in many factories across the country.
“In many factories, Nigerians are treated as if they are not human beings. You take workers, pay them N3,000 or N4,000 a day, and expose them to danger. That era is over,” she said.
She warned that the ministry will intensify nationwide inspections and shut any workplace that fails to meet safety standards.
“If you do the right thing, you attract investment. If you don’t, you will not operate,” she added.
Mrs Onyejeocha emphasised that occupational safety regulations are not optional and reminded employers that a weak economy is no justification for endangering lives.
“We must never create jobs that take lives. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, every worker matters,” she said.
What our investigation found
Our two-part investigative report revealed that the lead recycling factories in Ogijo have poisoned the very air residents breathe and the soil where children play.
Scientists collected 70 blood samples from factory workers and residents, finding that every worker tested showed dangerous lead exposure, with some levels as high as 38 µg/dL, which is many times above the World Health Organisation’s recommended limit.
Children in the community were not spared; eight out of 14 tested children had blood-lead levels exceeding five µg/dL, a threshold that health experts say poses serious risks to cognitive development.
Soil and dust samples collected around homes, farms, and a nearby school also showed catastrophic levels of contamination. In one school playground, the soil contained more than 1,900 ppm of lead, almost five times the level of many international safety limits.
Residents and workers reported chronic illnesses and symptoms consistent with lead poisoning, such as recurring stomach pains, fatigue, and poor concentration. Some families described their lives as being slowly suffocated by the black soot from the factory chimneys, fearing that their children’s futures had been stolen by a toxic smoke emitted by these factories.
Inside the plants, workers described a routine of crude, unsafe practices where used batteries are smashed by hand or with axes, molten lead is handled without adequate protective gear, and waste slag and lead dust are left exposed, allowing toxic particles to wash into soil or drift into the air.
READ ALSO: Many Nigerians still at risk of Lead Poisoning – Environment minister
The investigation also revealed that True Metals Nigeria Limited had been exporting recycled lead to buyers across Europe, Asia, and the United States, including the American commodities firm Trafigura Trading LLC. Following the report, East Penn Manufacturing, one of the largest battery makers in the US, said it would immediately stop importing lead from Nigeria, saying it had tightened scrutiny on all suppliers in its global chain.
The revelations also triggered sweeping regulatory action. The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) sealed nine recycling facilities, including True Metals, after inspectors confirmed widespread breaches of the 2024 Battery Control Regulations, ranging from unsafe smelting practices to uncontrolled toxic emissions.
Read the first and second parts of the investigations here and here.
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