LAWMA seals 25 buildings, mobil filling station in Lagos

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has sealed over 25 buildings, including a Mobil filling station, along Ago Palace Way in Okota, Lagos, due to environmental violations. This enforcement took place on Sunday and targeted heaps of refuse piled on road medians and near bridge supports, where the authority noted that improper waste disposal had become a persistent issue.

LAWMA's Managing Director, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, led the operation, employing equipment such as compactor trucks, payloaders, tipper trucks, and street sweepers to clear the affected areas.

In a statement released on X, LAWMA detailed that some sealed properties had unauthorized stalls on road margins or housed street traders whose activities allegedly led to littering and improper waste disposal. Several cart pushers were arrested for allegedly engaging in illegal dumping, with one of them, Shamusi Muritala from Katsina State, confessing to collecting up to N5,000 from customers for clearing road medians of refuse.

Muritala requested leniency during his questioning but faced non-negotiable consequences from authorities.

The operation also incorporated public awareness drives aimed at educating residents and traders on proper waste disposal methods, urging them to utilize approved collection services. Gbadegesin emphasized that LAWMA would persist in enforcing regulations against illegal street trading and penalize individuals who utilized prohibited areas for such activities, warning that these actions hindered mobility, disrupted public order, and exacerbated environmental degradation.

Supporting the operation were the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit, known as the Taskforce, and the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) team.