Lagos man gets 13 months community service for illegal waste dumping

A Special Offences Mobile Court sitting in Oshodi on Monday sentenced a 48-year-old man, Makinde Rasaq, to 13 months of community service at Kirikiri for illegal waste dumping in Lagos.

According to a post on Lagos State’s X handle on Tuesday, Rasaq, who was arrested last week at Lagos Island with a Honda SUV loaded with refuse, faced seven charges and pleaded guilty to all of them. The court consequently imposed varying terms of imprisonment with an option of community service, which cumulatively amounted to 13 months of community service.

“The offences included breach of peace, indiscriminate dumping of waste, failure to patronise Private Sector Participation operators, illegal transportation of waste without a valid licence, and obstruction of government officials in the performance of their duties,” the statement read.

The convict was apprehended on Saturday night while dumping refuse at the Tinubu Fountain in Central Lagos.

Authorities suspect he may be part of a syndicate deliberately dumping waste across the state to portray Lagos as unclean.

Following his arrest, Rasaq was detained at the Adeniji-Adele Police Station before being handed over to officers of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) for arraignment by legal officers from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.

Reacting to the conviction, the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbedegesin, said the judgment sends a strong message of zero tolerance for indiscriminate waste disposal in the state.

He urged residents to comply with environmental laws by patronising LAWMA-accredited PSP operators, stressing that proper waste disposal remains a collective responsibility.

Gbedegesin added that while waste generation is unavoidable, residents must desist from unwholesome practices and adopt lawful waste management methods for a cleaner Lagos.