Lagos arrests 10,634 environmental offenders in one year — Commissioner

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.