In a strong move to enforce environmental laws and discourage indiscriminate waste disposal, five men have been arrested and remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Facility for allegedly dumping refuse in a canal along the Igando-Iba Road Link Bridge in Lagos State.

In a statement signed on Thursday by the Director, Public Affairs Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Kunle Adeshina, the men were identified as Quassim Jamiu (44, Kwara State), Ayo Jamiu (18, Kwara State), Alexander Innocent (40, Akwa Ibom), Oparinde Taiwo (55, Ogun State), and Moses Adelowokan (76, Osun State)—were apprehended by operatives from the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) Task Force and security personnel while in the act of unloading waste from a lorry into the canal.

They were subsequently arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting in Oshodi on Thursday and have been remanded in Kirikiri Prison pending the next hearing scheduled for July 9.

The arrests come just 48 hours after the Lagos State Government issued a stern warning to residents against violating the state’s environmental laws. Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strict enforcement, stating that the men would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

He also reminded Lagosians that the penalty for illegal waste dumping includes a fine of N250,000 and three months imprisonment. Wahab stressed that the state has made waste disposal services accessible by deploying PSP operators across all wards in Lagos to handle proper waste evacuation for a regulated fee.

The Lagos State Government continues to call on residents to embrace responsible waste management practices as part of efforts to ensure a cleaner, healthier environment.

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