ICYMI: LAWMA to arrest, prosecute buyers patronising illegal roadside traders

Environment, News

LAGOS, Nigeria (NPA) — The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has announced plans to arrest and prosecute people who buy goods from traders operating illegally on roads, medians, setbacks, walkways and other unauthorised public spaces across the state.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this at the Authority’s headquarters on Tuesday, saying the measure would take effect from next week.

According to a statement signed by Mukaila Sanusi, Director, Public Affairs, LAWMA, the enforcement is part of a renewed strategy to curb illegal trading, indiscriminate waste disposal and obstruction of public infrastructure.

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Gbadegesin said enforcement would no longer target only illegal traders, as people who patronise such activities by purchasing goods from them would also be held accountable under Section 151(2) of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017.

“The law does not only prohibit illegal street trading. It also makes it an offence to buy goods exposed or offered for sale in prohibited places. From next week, anyone found buying from traders operating on roadsides, medians, walkways, setbacks or other unauthorised spaces will be arrested, alongside the traders, and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” he said.

He added that anyone convicted of the offence could face a fine of N90,000, six months’ imprisonment, or both.

Gbadegesin said illegal roadside and median markets often generate waste that ends up in drains, roads and other public spaces, obstructing drainage channels, worsening traffic conditions and creating public health risks.

“Our objective is to stop the cycle that allows illegal trading and indiscriminate waste disposal to return after enforcement operations. Traders occupy public spaces because people continue to patronise them. Buyers must understand that their actions sustain the problem and that they are also accountable under the law,” he said.

The LAWMA boss said the Authority was also strengthening waste collection in inner streets and communities around previously cleared dumping hotspots, adding that identified service gaps would be addressed.

He warned that deliberate dumping, redumping and patronage of illegal markets would attract enforcement, while urging residents and businesses to patronise recognised markets and use approved waste collection channels.

Gbadegesin said personal convenience should not come at the expense of public health, environmental sanitation, road safety and the orderly use of Lagos’ shared spaces.

He reaffirmed LAWMA’s commitment to sustained enforcement, stakeholder engagement and improved waste collection services as part of efforts to eliminate open dumping and achieve a cleaner Lagos.