Canada Returnee Arrested For Assaulting Sanitation Officer In Lagos

A 52-year-old Canada returnee, Morufudeen Idowu, has been arrested in Lagos after allegedly assaulting an official of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) who tried to stop him from crossing the expressway.

According to Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, the suspect refused to comply with lawful instructions and physically attacked the officer during routine enforcement along the busy Ojota corridor.

In a post shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, Wahab confirmed the arrest of Idowu and said he would be prosecuted.

“Mr Morufudeen Idowu — 52yrs, a Canada returnee, refused arrest and assaulted one of our personnel while crossing the expressway at Ojota.

“He has been taken into custody at Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps office in Oshodi and will be prosecuted in accordance with the relevant laws of the state,” Wahab stated.

Although full details of the incident were yet to be officially released, reports indicated that LAGESC officials were stationed in the Ojota area to prevent unsafe pedestrian behaviour, particularly illegal crossings along the expressway medians and restricted zones.

LAGESC officials, commonly known as KAI officers, are tasked with enforcing environmental and safety regulations across the state. Their duties include curbing street trading, improper waste disposal, and dangerous road-crossing practices.

Crossing Lagos expressways without using designated pedestrian bridges is illegal and has resulted in numerous fatal accidents over the years. This has prompted state authorities to intensify enforcement efforts in hotspots such as Ojota, Oshodi, and Mile 2 areas of Lagos.