Lagos Mobile Court convicts man caught dumping refuse at Tinubu Fountain

A Special Offences Mobile Court sitting in Oshodi, Lagos, on Monday sentenced a 48-year-old man, Makinde Rasaq, to 13 months of community service for illegally dumping refuse in parts of Lagos Island.

Rasaq was arrested last week while driving a Honda SUV loaded with refuse, which he was caught dumping around the Tinubu Fountain area in Central Lagos during a night operation.

The defendant was arraigned on seven counts, including breach of public peace, indiscriminate dumping of waste, failure to patronise accredited PSP operators, illegal transportation of waste without a valid licence, and obstruction of government officials in the discharge of their duties.

He pleaded guilty to all the charges.

Following his plea, the court sentenced him to varying terms of imprisonment with an option of community service, which cumulatively amounted to 13 months of community service. The service is to be carried out at Kirikiri.

Investigations revealed that the convict is suspected to be part of a syndicate allegedly engaged in deliberate illegal dumping of refuse across Lagos, purportedly to create a false narrative that the state is dirty.

After his arrest, Rasaq was initially detained at the Adeniji Adele Police Station before being handed over to officers of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (KAI) for prosecution by officials of the State Ministry of Justice.

Reacting to the conviction, the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, described the ruling as a strong message of zero tolerance for indiscriminate waste disposal in the state.

He warned residents to comply strictly with Lagos State environmental laws by patronising only LAWMA-accredited Private Sector Participants (PSP) for waste collection.

“Waste generation is inevitable, but improper disposal is unacceptable,” Gbadegesin said, urging residents to desist from engaging illegal waste transporters.

He stressed that the authority would continue enforcement actions to ensure a cleaner, healthier, and more orderly Lagos.