LAWMA to arrest buyers patronising illegal roadside traders in Lagos

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) says it will arrest people who buy goods from traders operating on roads, medians, walkways, setbacks and other unauthorised public spaces across the state.

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The agency stated that the enforcement would begin next week, with both the traders and their customers liable to arrest.

LAWMA’s Director of Public Affairs, Mukaila Sanusi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, quoting the agency’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Muyiwa Gbadegesin.

Mr Gbadegesin explained that the move was part of the authority’s efforts to curb illegal trading, indiscriminate waste disposal and the obstruction of public infrastructure.

He noted that the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017, prohibits not only trading in unauthorised places but also the purchase of goods sold there.

“The law does not only prohibit illegal street trading. It also makes it an offence to buy goods exposed or offered for sale in prohibited places,” Mr Gbadegesin said.

“From next week, anyone found buying from traders operating on roadsides, medians, walkways, setbacks or other unauthorised spaces will be arrested, alongside the traders, and prosecuted in accordance with the law.”

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According to him, anyone convicted of the offence could be fined N90,000, sentenced to six months in prison, or both.

Mr Gbadegesin stated that roadside and median trading often led to waste being dumped in drains, on roads and other public spaces.

He noted that the practice also contributed to blocked drainage channels, traffic congestion and public health risks.

“Our objective is to stop the cycle that allows illegal trading and indiscriminate waste disposal to return after enforcement operations,” he said.

“Traders occupy public spaces because people continue to patronise them. Buyers must understand that their actions sustain the problem and that they are also accountable under the law.”

The announcement comes amid LAWMA’s continuing enforcement against illegal waste disposal and other environmental offences in different parts of Lagos.

LAWMA disengages sweepers over alleged dumping

The agency recently disengaged some street sweepers, their supervisors and the service provider responsible for their operations over alleged indiscriminate dumping of waste along the Oworonshoki-Berger axis.

LAWMA stated that its investigation and surveillance showed that the workers were involved in dumping waste on a road median that had become a recurring waste blackspot.

Mr Gbadegesin explained that in a post on the authority’s Facebook page on Saturday that the sweepers confessed during the investigation.

“The sweepers, their supervisors and the service provider were disengaged from the cleaning operation to underscore the Authority’s commitment to ensuring that all personnel and service providers engaged in waste management in the State upheld the standards expected of them and did not contribute to the environmental challenges they were engaged to address,” he said.

He stated that the authority would continue to investigate recurring waste disposal hotspots and sanction individuals or organisations found to be involved in indiscriminate dumping.

“Our responsibility is to keep Lagos clean, and everyone involved in that responsibility must play their part. Where our investigations establish that anyone is contributing to the problem, appropriate action will be taken. There will be no exceptions,” he noted.

Two arrested

In a separate operation along the Berger-Oworonshoki axis, LAWMA officials arrested two men for alleged violations of environmental regulations.

One of them, identified as Timileyin Ojo, a load carrier, was allegedly caught using a wheelbarrow to dump waste on the road median.

The second man, whom LAWMA described as a suspected cart pusher, was arrested for allegedly engaging in unauthorised waste collection in the area.

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The two men were taken to the Oshodi Task Force Office, also known as the Mobile Court, for further investigation and prosecution under relevant environmental laws.

Mr Gbadegesin said LAWMA was also working to strengthen waste collection in inner streets and communities around areas previously cleared of illegal dumping.

He stated that gaps identified in waste collection would be addressed but warned that deliberate dumping, re-dumping and patronage of illegal markets would continue to attract enforcement.

He urged residents and businesses to use approved waste collection channels and patronise recognised markets.

The LAWMA chief also asked residents to report indiscriminate dumping and unauthorised waste collection to the appropriate authorities, saying surveillance would continue along the Berger-Oworonshoki axis and other identified waste hotspots.