Lagos Authorities Arrest More Than 10,000 Residents for Environmental and Traffic Violations

The Lagos State Government announced that 5,715 people were arrested for highway crossing violations, while 3,886 were detained for activities such as street trading, environmental pollution and cart pushing across the state.

Additionally, 102 individuals were arrested for open defecation and 931 were apprehended for various waste‑management violations.

These figures were disclosed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, during a 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing held on Sunday. The briefing marked the seventh anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo‑Olu’s administration in the environmental sector.

The event took place at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja.

Wahab reiterated the state government’s commitment to creating a cleaner, healthier and flood‑resilient Lagos through enhanced environmental policies, strategic waste‑management partnerships and climate‑sustainability initiatives.

He said the administration is also working to transition Lagos toward a zero‑waste economy via recycling programmes, waste‑to‑energy projects and improved landfill management systems.

Highlighting ministry achievements, Wahab noted that Lagos successfully reintroduced the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, which aims to raise environmental consciousness and improve sanitation practices among residents.

“The exercise recorded massive participation from residents, local governments, private organisations and state officials, demonstrating renewed public commitment to environmental cleanliness,” he said.

Wahab reported that enforcement operations were intensified through various agencies under the ministry, leading to the arrest and prosecution of environmental offenders as well as the removal of illegal traders and squatters from different locations.

He also revealed that the ministry commissioned the Ikosi Waste‑to‑Energy Biodigester Plant located within the Ketu Fruit Market.

The facility converts organic waste into electricity, cooking gas and agricultural fertiliser.

“The plant processes 0.5 tonnes of organic waste per day and generates 30 kWh of electricity daily for lighting and cold storage, delivering an estimated annual emission savings of 9,000 tCO₂e,” Wahab explained.

Speaking on waste‑management operations, the commissioner said the government had improved landfill efficiency and reduced waste‑truck turnaround time across disposal facilities.

He added that the operating licences of five underperforming Private Sector Participation operators were withdrawn following an assessment exercise.

Wahab also disclosed that the state strengthened healthcare waste management by deploying 35 new PSP operators to health facilities across Lagos’ three senatorial districts.

According to him, about 3,920 health facilities have been registered statewide, with between 80,000 kg and 105,000 kg of medical waste treated every month.

The commissioner noted that the state maintained its ban on Styrofoam and single‑use plastics, adding that 137,530.94 kg of PET plastics had been removed from the environment over the past year.

He added that Lagos continued to record improvements in climate governance, air quality management and environmental sustainability, maintaining its position as Nigeria’s leading state in climate governance for the second consecutive year.

“The ministry continued its tradition of tree planting, recording 16,966 planted trees across the five divisions of the state, while new recreational parks were created and existing ones renovated,” he stated.

Wahab further explained that flood control and drainage infrastructure remained key priorities of the administration, with extensive dredging, drainage clearing and channel construction projects executed across the state.

“The ministry maintained and cleaned 18 primary channels covering 76 km and secondary channels spanning 178 km, while also removing illegal structures obstructing drainage alignments,” he said.

He added that operatives of the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang responded to flood‑prone areas and black spots covering approximately 210 km across Lagos to reduce flooding and improve stormwater management.

On water supply, the commissioner revealed that the government recently commissioned the rehabilitated Akilo Mini Waterworks with a production capacity of one million gallons per day.

He also stated that work was progressing steadily on the Adiyan Phase II Water Treatment Plant project and the expansion of potable water infrastructure across the state.