No fewer than 19 individuals have been convicted by a Magistrate Court sitting in Bolade, Oshodi, following their arrest for sanitation-related offences by the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).
Seventeen of the offenders were apprehended for open urination and defecation, while two others were arrested for indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this in a statement.According to him, the court sentenced the 17 offenders to pay a fine of N40,000 each or serve one month imprisonment.
He added that two individuals — Obinna Nzugbe and Ifeanyi Ibe — were sentenced to five months imprisonment each after pleading guilty to charges of indiscriminate waste dumping.Another defendant, Daniel Alfred, who pleaded not guilty to a similar charge, had his case adjourned to April 3, 2026, for trial.
Gbadegesin said the convictions underscore LAWMA’s commitment to sustained enforcement of environmental laws across the state, noting that open defecation, public urination, and improper waste disposal pose serious public health and environmental risks.
He urged residents to comply with sanitation regulations and use approved waste disposal channels, warning that violators would continue to face prosecution.
Reporting by Innocent Onoh