The Lagos Waste Management Authority has announced that from next week, people found buying goods from traders operating illegally on roads, medians, setbacks, walkways and other unauthorised public spaces will be arrested and prosecuted.
LAWMA said the measure is in line with Section 151(2) of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the move formed part of a renewed enforcement strategy aimed at curbing illegal trading, indiscriminate waste disposal and the obstruction of public infrastructure across Lagos State. Gbadegesin said enforcement would no longer focus only on traders operating in prohibited areas, as customers who patronise them would also be held accountable under the law.
“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 markets operating on roadsides and medians frequently generate waste that is dumped in drains, on roads and in other public spaces, contributing to blocked drainage channels, traffic congestion and 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 also said the Authority was strengthening waste collection in inner streets and communities around areas where illegal dumping hotspots had previously been cleared. He said identified service gaps would be addressed, while deliberate dumping, repeated dumping and continued patronage of illegal markets would attract enforcement.
Gbadegesin urged residents and businesses to use recognised markets and approved waste collection channels, saying personal convenience should not come at the expense of public health, environmental sanitation, road safety and the orderly use of shared public 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 improve sanitation across Lagos.