A Lagos mobile court has sentenced a 48 year old man, Makinde Rasaq, to 13 months of community service for illegal waste dumping in the state.
Rasaq was convicted by a Special Offences Mobile Court sitting in Oshodi after he pleaded guilty to seven charges brought against him by the Lagos State Government.
His offences included breach of peace, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, failure to patronise Private Sector Participation waste operators, illegal transportation of waste without a valid licence, and obstruction of government officials while carrying out their duties.
According to information released by the state government on Tuesday, the convict was arrested last week at Lagos Island while conveying refuse in a Honda SUV. He was apprehended on Saturday night while dumping waste around the Tinubu Fountain area in Central Lagos.
The court imposed varying jail terms with the option of community service on each count. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, resulting in a cumulative 13 months of community service to be carried out at Kirikiri.
Authorities also disclosed that Rasaq was initially detained at the Adeniji Adele Police Station before he was transferred to officers of the Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, for arraignment by legal officers from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice. Investigators suspect he may be part of a syndicate involved in deliberate illegal dumping across parts of the state to portray Lagos as filthy.
Reacting to the judgment, the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Dr Muyiwa Gbedegesin, said the conviction sends a clear signal that the state will no longer tolerate indiscriminate waste disposal.
“The judgment sends a strong message of zero tolerance for indiscriminate waste disposal in Lagos,” Gbedegesin said.
He urged residents to comply with environmental laws by patronising LAWMA accredited PSP operators, stressing that proper waste management 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.
