The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has announced plans to arrest and prosecute residents who buy goods from traders operating on roads, medians, walkways, setbacks and other unauthorised public spaces across the state.
The enforcement is expected to begin next week and will be carried out under Section 151, subsection 2 of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017.
According to a statement released on Wednesday, September 9, LAWMA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this on Tuesday at the Authority’s headquarters.
According to him, the move is part of a renewed enforcement drive targeting illegal trading, indiscriminate waste disposal and the obstruction of public infrastructure.
Gbadegesin said the Authority would no longer concentrate its enforcement efforts solely on traders. Customers who patronise illegal roadside markets will also face sanctions because their purchases help sustain the activities.
“The Law does not only prohibit illegal street trading. It also makes it an offence to buy goods exposed or offered for sale in prohibited places.
“From next week, anyone found buying from traders operating on roadsides, medians, walkways, setbacks or other unauthorised spaces will be arrested, alongside the traders, and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” he said.
He said anyone convicted could face a fine of N90,000, six months’ imprisonment, or both.
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The LAWMA boss linked illegal roadside and median trading to persistent environmental problems, explaining that such activities often result in refuse being dumped into drainage channels, on roads and in other public areas.
According to him, the resulting waste can block drains, worsen traffic congestion and increase public health risks.
“Our objective is to stop the cycle that allows illegal trading and indiscriminate waste disposal to return after enforcement operations.
“Traders occupy public spaces because people continue to patronise them. Buyers must understand that their actions sustain the problem and that they are also accountable under the law,” he said.
Gbadegesin said LAWMA was also working to improve waste collection in inner streets and communities around locations where illegal dumping sites had previously been cleared.
He said identified gaps in waste collection services would be addressed, while deliberate dumping, the return of waste to cleared locations and patronage of illegal markets would attract enforcement action.
The LAWMA chief urged Lagos residents and businesses to shop at recognised markets and dispose of their waste through approved collection channels.
He warned that personal convenience should not undermine public health, environmental sanitation, road safety or the orderly use of shared public spaces.
Gbadegesin reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to sustained enforcement, engagement with stakeholders and improved waste collection services as part of efforts to eliminate open dumping and maintain a cleaner Lagos.