A Magistrate Court sitting in Oshodi has sentenced 12 persons arrested for street trading, scavenging, and other environmental offences to five months’ imprisonment.
The convictions followed their arraignment after an enforcement operation along the Ikoyi-Lekki axis by the Waste Investigation, Surveillance & Enforcement (Project WISE) Team, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) Special Squad.
Confirming the development, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the defendants pleaded guilty to a two-count charge bordering on environmental nuisance and street trading. They were subsequently convicted and sentenced to five months’ imprisonment without the option of a fine.
He added that three underage persons apprehended during the operation were released with stern warnings. Gbadegesin stressed that the Authority would continue to intensify enforcement efforts to ensure compliance with environmental laws across the state.
He reiterated that the enforcement drive was not targeted at any particular group but was aimed at restoring order, protecting public health, and sustaining environmental sanitation across key corridors of the state.
The LAWMA boss urged residents and traders to comply with existing waste management and environmental regulations, warning that defaulters would continue to face prosecution in accordance with the law.
