The Lagos State Government is set to begin arresting and prosecuting residents who patronise traders selling goods on roadsides, medians, walkways, setbacks and other unauthorised public spaces across the state.
The Lagos Waste Management Authority said the enforcement, scheduled to commence next week, would extend beyond illegal traders to their customers, whom it said were also liable under the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this on Tuesday at the authority’s headquarters, saying the measure was part of a renewed strategy to tackle illegal trading, indiscriminate waste disposal and obstruction of public infrastructure.
Gbadegesin said the law did not only prohibit the sale of goods in unauthorised locations but also criminalised the purchase of goods exposed or offered for sale in such prohibited places.
“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.
According to him, anyone convicted of the offence could face a fine of N90,000, six months’ imprisonment, or both, citing Section 151(2) of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017.
The LAWMA chief explained that the decision to target buyers was aimed at breaking what he described as the cycle sustaining illegal markets and the environmental problems associated with them.
He said roadside and median markets often became sources of indiscriminate waste disposal, with refuse ending up in drainage channels, roads and other public spaces.
Gbadegesin added that such activities could obstruct drainage systems, 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 intensifying waste collection in inner streets and communities around areas previously cleared of illegal dumping, adding that identified gaps in waste services would be addressed.
He, however, warned that improved waste collection would not excuse deliberate dumping, redumping or patronage of illegal markets, which he said would continue to attract enforcement.
He urged residents and businesses to patronise recognised markets and dispose of their waste through approved collection channels, stressing that convenience should not compromise public health, environmental sanitation, road safety or the orderly use of public spaces.
Gbadegesin reaffirmed LAWMA’s commitment to sustained enforcement, stakeholder engagement and improved waste management services as part of efforts to eliminate open dumping and maintain a cleaner Lagos.
