By Toochi Ejiofor
Edited by Bababunmi Agbebi
The Lagos State Government has intensified its war on environmental indiscipline, arresting 10,634 residents over the past year for various environmental offences.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed the figures at the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing marking Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s seventh year in office.
The vast majority of the arrests over the twelve-month period were linked to highway crossing, street trading, pollution and waste-related offences. 5,715 individuals were apprehended for refusing to use pedestrian bridges and attempting to cross highways. 3,886 were apprehended for street trading and pollution-related offences. Another 931 residents were arrested for waste offences, while 102 people were apprehended for open defecation.
Currently, under the Lagos State Environmental Laws, offenders face heavy fines of up to ₦250,000 or up to three months in prison. Recall that IkejaBird recently questioned the practicality of this approach, highlighting how sending minor environmental offenders to prison strains an already congested correctional system. Data shows that Nigeria’s inmate population has risen to over 80,000, with Lagos State recording the worst overcrowding. The state holds 9,209 inmates in facilities built to accommodate just 4,167.
These arrests form part of the state government’s renewed environmental enforcement campaign aimed at transitioning Lagos into a zero-waste economy under the THEMES Plus Agenda.
