LAWMA Arrests Miscreant, Illegal Cart Pusher During Environmental Sanitation Exercise in Ajegunle

LAWMA Arrests Miscreant, Illegal Cart Pusher During Environmental Sanitation Exercise in Ajegunle

The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has reiterated its resolve to enforce environmental laws across the state following the arrest of a notorious miscreant and an illegal cart pusher during a sanitation operation at Alayabiagba Market, Boundary area of Ajegunle.

The exercise, carried out on Thursday, was conducted in collaboration with the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LASESC) and witnessed active participation from traders within the market. It was aimed at restoring environmental order, curbing indiscriminate waste disposal and promoting sustainable cleanliness in commercial centres.

During the operation, LAWMA enforcement officers apprehended a suspected criminal element operating within the market and recovered several bags containing substances believed to be Indian hemp. The suspect was immediately taken into custody. In a related enforcement action, an illegal cart pusher was also arrested along the Ago Palace corridor for dumping refuse on the road median, an act that contravenes the state’s environmental sanitation laws.

Speaking on the development, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to continuous environmental monitoring and strict enforcement across Lagos State.

He stressed that the clean-up exercise at Alayabiagba Market was not a one-off intervention but part of a broader, state-wide environmental compliance drive that would cover all markets in the metropolis.

Dr. Gbadegesin warned that markets found to be environmentally unfriendly or complicit in illegal waste disposal would face decisive sanctions, including possible closure, in line with existing environmental regulations.

According to him, markets must go beyond being centres of commercial activity and evolve into spaces that reflect cleanliness, safety and civic responsibility.

The LAWMA boss also charged market leaders and executives to rid their environments of miscreants and criminal elements who use commercial spaces as havens for illegal activities, noting that environmental degradation often goes hand in hand with rising insecurity.

He confirmed that both the apprehended miscreant and the illegal cart pusher would be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction, adding that the enforcement action was intended to serve as a deterrent to others who may be inclined to violate the state’s environmental laws.

Dr. Gbadegesin further assured residents that LAWMA would continue to strengthen collaboration with sister agencies, market associations and community stakeholders to ensure a cleaner, safer and healthier Lagos.

He urged traders and residents to see environmental cleanliness not as a government imposition but as a shared civic duty, noting that LAWMA would sustain a combination of surveillance, enforcement and public enlightenment to protect public spaces and uphold Lagos’ status as a global megacity.