LAWMA arrests cart pushers over illegal dumping along Lagos-Badagry Expressway
The Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, has arrested several cart pushers for allegedly engaging in illegal refuse disposal along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in the Ojo axis of the state.
The arrests were made after officers of LAWMA’s Waste Investigation, Surveillance and Enforcement Team uncovered an unauthorised dumpsite during a routine patrol carried out by the Ijora-Seme Division.
Confirming the operation in a statement issued on Saturday, the agency’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr Mukaila Sanusi, said the suspects were apprehended while unlawfully dumping waste at the location.
According to him, the enforcement exercise was triggered by the discovery of the illegal refuse site during a scheduled monitoring exercise along the busy corridor.
Sanusi disclosed that the operation was supervised by the Head of the Ijora-Seme Division, Mr Oladeji Adebayo, as part of ongoing efforts to curb environmental violations across the state.
He quoted the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, as expressing concern over the continued activities of unlicensed waste handlers, which he said posed serious risks to public health and environmental safety.
Gbadegesin noted that indiscriminate dumping of refuse by cart pushers undermines the structured waste management framework established by the Lagos State Government and contributes to environmental degradation.
He reiterated that the collection of household waste in Lagos is strictly the responsibility of registered Private Sector Participation, PSP, operators, advising residents to desist from engaging unapproved waste collectors.
The LAWMA boss warned that individuals involved in illegal waste disposal would be arrested and prosecuted in line with existing environmental laws.
He assured residents that surveillance and enforcement activities would be sustained across strategic locations, urging them to properly bag their waste, register with approved PSP operators and report environmental offenders through LAWMA’s official communication channels.
In a related update on its official X handle, the agency reiterated that disposal of waste through unregulated handlers is prohibited, adding that enforcement operations are ongoing across the state.
