Monday, May 25, 2026 - The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has disclosed that 10,634 environmental offenders were arrested across the state within one year as part of intensified enforcement activities aimed at promoting environmental sanitation and restoring order.
According to a statement on Sunday by the ministry’s
Director of Public Affairs, Kunle Adeshina, Wahab disclosed this during the
2026 Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre,
Alausa.
Giving a breakdown of the arrest, Wahab noted that 5,715
persons were arrested for illegal highway crossing, while 3,886 others were
apprehended for offences including street trading, environmental pollution, and
cart pushing.
He added that 102 persons were arrested for open defecation,
while another 931 individuals were apprehended for waste management-related
offences across the state.
Wahab said the enforcement drive was part of the state
government’s broader commitment to building “a cleaner, healthier,
flood-resilient, and environmentally sustainable megacity” in line with the
THEMES Plus Agenda.
According to him, the ministry intensified enforcement
operations through its agencies, leading to the arrest and prosecution of
offenders involved in environmental violations, illegal trading, highway
crossing, open defecation, and improper waste disposal.
“The ministry also intensified enforcement activities
through its agencies, leading to the arrest and prosecution of environmental
offenders, removal of illegal traders and squatters, and issuance of
environmental abatement notices across the state,” the statement quoted Wahab
as saying.
According to the statement, the state also recorded progress
in waste management and environmental sustainability through strategic
partnerships and recycling initiatives.
“We have enhanced the waste-to-wealth initiative with the
signing of 12 new partnerships on environmental sustainability and have
intensified monitoring and enforcement activities against indiscriminate waste
disposal and environmental violations,” he stated.
The commissioner disclosed that the state government
commissioned the Ikosi Waste-to-Energy Biodigester Plant located within the
Ketu Fruit Market to convert organic waste into electricity, cooking gas, and
agricultural fertiliser.
“The plant processes 0.5 tonnes of organic waste per day,
generating 30 kWh of electricity daily for lighting and cold storage,
delivering an estimated annual emission which will save 9,000tCO2e,” he added.
Wahab further stated that the state sustained its ban on
Styrofoam and single-use plastics, adding that 137,530.94kg of PET plastics had
been removed from the environment through recycling and recovery initiatives.
Speaking on climate governance, the commissioner noted that
Lagos retained its position as Nigeria’s top-performing state in climate
governance for the second consecutive year.
“The State successfully hosted the 2025 Lagos International
Climate Change Summit focused on financing Africa’s coastal resilience and blue
economy opportunities,” Wahab said.
He added that over 100 air quality monitoring sensors had
been installed across the state, while cleaner fish processing technology was
introduced in Makoko to reduce smoke emissions and improve public health
outcomes.
On flood control, Wahab disclosed that the ministry
maintained and cleaned 18 primary drainage channels covering 76 kilometres and
secondary channels spanning 178 kilometres across the state.
He added that emergency flood abatement operations were also
carried out across flood-prone areas covering approximately 210 kilometres.
Wahab concluded that the achievements recorded across
sanitation, waste management, environmental enforcement, climate action, and
drainage infrastructure demonstrated the commitment of the Sanwo-Olu
administration to improving the quality of life of Lagos residents.
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