The Lagos State Government, through its Special Taskforce, is set to prosecute six individuals who were arrested for openly urinating on the rail line near the Nigeria Army Shopping Complex, Arena, in Oshodi.
The suspects will face charges under the Lagos State Environmental Laws, as part of the state’s renewed crackdown on public hygiene violations.
This development comes just 48 hours after the Lagos State Government announced a total clampdown on offenders of open defecation and urination across the state.
The state’s Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed the arrests on his official X.com handle on Saturday.
In his post, Wahab stated, “Six defaulters were earlier today arrested for open urination on the rail track in front of Nigeria Army Shopping Complex, Arena, Oshodi.”
He emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing environmental degradation and maintaining public cleanliness.
The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), commonly known as Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), has been mobilized to enforce the new directives.
The enforcement follows a stakeholders’ meeting where KAI’s Corp Marshal, Major Olaniyi Cole (Retd.), declared an immediate and total enforcement of the state’s environmental laws.
Officers have been placed on high alert to ensure compliance.
During a recent advocacy and sanitation exercise at the Berger Expressway, the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji, underscored the urgency of the enforcement action.
He stated that the initiative aims to prevent the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera and diarrhea, which are exacerbated by poor sanitation practices.
Gaji, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Olawale Musa, and other senior officials, stressed the importance of eradicating open defecation and urination in public spaces.
“It is appalling and shameful to find people defecating and urinating in open places, especially on the road and road medians.
These actions are unacceptable and require a lasting solution,” he said.
The taskforce’s enforcement team, which includes the anti-open defecation squad and other agencies, will work in shifts to apprehend and prosecute offenders.
Gaji warned that anyone caught would face the full weight of the law, with the hope that such actions would serve as a deterrent to others.
KAI’s Corp Marshal, Cole, also issued a stern warning to his officers, directing them to enforce the laws without fear or favor.
“Enough is enough; we are moving to every area in the state on a clean-up exercise henceforth, to rid it of environmental nuisance. Any offender caught would be prosecuted accordingly,” Cole vowed.
He added that there would be no tolerance for any form of indolence or compromise among officers, stating, “Lagos must remain clean for all.
Any officer also caught engaging in compromising acts will be disciplined appropriately.”
