Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
For Lagos residents accustomed to stopping by the roadside to buy food, clothes, household items or other goods, a quick purchase could soon come with an unexpected consequence: arrest.
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has warned that, from next week, buyers who patronise traders operating on roads, medians, walkways, setbacks and other unauthorised public spaces will be arrested and prosecuted alongside the traders.
The move is part of a renewed enforcement drive aimed at tackling illegal trading, indiscriminate waste disposal and the obstruction of public infrastructure across the state.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, announced the policy yesterday at the authority’s headquarters, saying enforcement would no longer stop with traders occupying prohibited spaces.
According to him, the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017 also holds accountable those who purchase goods displayed for sale in prohibited locations.
“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,” Gbadegesin said.
He said offenders convicted under Section 151(2) of the law could face a fine of N90,000, six months’ imprisonment, or both.
Gbadegesin said the decision was driven by the environmental and public-safety problems associated with roadside markets, which he said often leave refuse in drains, on roads and other public spaces.
Beyond the unsightly heaps of waste, he said, such activities block drainage channels, worsen traffic congestion and expose residents to 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 working to strengthen waste collection in inner streets and communities around areas where illegal dumping had previously been cleared.
He said identified service gaps would be addressed, but warned that deliberate dumping, redumping and patronage of illegal markets would continue to attract sanctions.
Gbadegesin urged residents and businesses to patronise recognised markets and use approved waste collection channels, stressing that convenience should not be allowed to undermine public health, road safety and the orderly use of the city’s shared spaces.
