LAWMA Condemns Attack On Enforcement Officers, Vows Continued Crackdown On Illegal Dumping In Lagos

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has condemned the attack on its enforcement officers during a routine environmental monitoring and compliance operation conducted on Sunday along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, warning that those responsible would be brought to justice.

The Authority’s position was contained in a statement released on Monday and signed by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, who described the attack on the agency’s operatives as unlawful and a direct challenge to government efforts to maintain environmental sanitation across Lagos State.

Commenting on the incident, Gbadegesin warned against any obstruction of the Authority’s enforcement and other lawful activities, describing the recent attack on LAWMA operatives by suspected illegal waste operators at Mazamaza Bus Stop as unacceptable.

According to him, LAWMA remained committed to enforcing environmental laws and protecting public infrastructure from activities that undermine sanitation standards across the state.

The incident occurred at the Mazamaza Bus Stop, shortly after FESTAC First Gate, where LAWMA operatives encountered individuals engaged in illegal waste disposal.

While carrying out their lawful duties, members of the enforcement team came under attack from suspected illegal waste operators and cart pushers who attempted to obstruct the exercise.

Gbadegesin described the attack as “unacceptable” and a direct affront to government efforts aimed at safeguarding public health and maintaining environmental sanitation.

“Our enforcement officers were carrying out their statutory responsibilities when they were attacked by individuals seeking to frustrate the government’s efforts to maintain a clean and healthy environment,” he said.

“Such actions are unacceptable and will not deter us from discharging our mandate.”

The LAWMA boss noted that assaults on enforcement personnel constitute a serious offence and warned that anyone found to have participated in the attack or obstructed lawful government operations would face the full weight of the law.

He disclosed that appropriate steps were already being taken to identify and apprehend all persons connected with the incident.

Despite the attack, the enforcement team continued its monitoring operation along the corridor, covering Iyana Iba, Okokomaiko and Agbara, as part of ongoing efforts to curb indiscriminate waste disposal and promote environmental compliance.

Reiterating the agency’s stance on environmental violations, Gbadegesin said the activities of illegal cart pushers and operators of unauthorised dumpsites remained a major threat to effective waste management, environmental sanitation and public health.

He urged residents and businesses to patronise only approved waste service providers and dispose of waste through authorised channels in line with extant environmental regulations.

The LAWMA chief executive further emphasised that maintaining a clean and sustainable environment requires collective responsibility, calling on residents to support government efforts by complying with environmental laws and reporting illegal waste disposal activities within their communities.

He stressed that the Authority would not relent in its enforcement drive, adding that individuals involved in illegal dumping, unauthorised waste collection and related environmental offences would continue to face appropriate sanctions.

LAWMA reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining enforcement operations across the state, warning that offenders would be dealt with in line with the Lagos State Government’s zero-tolerance stance on environmental violations.