The Chairman of Sagamu Local Government Area in Ogun State, Afolabi Odulate, has impounded several trucks allegedly linked to the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) for allegedly dumping refuse at an unauthorised location in the council area.
The enforcement operation was carried out at the weekend following complaints from residents and community leaders over the activities of refuse truck operators said to be transporting waste from Lagos State into Ogun State.
According to Odulate, the trucks were caught discharging refuse in the Sotubo area along the Sagamu–Ikorodu Expressway, close to residential communities and the Southwestern Nigerian College of Health Technology.
Residents had raised concerns over the environmental and public health implications of the growing refuse dumps, warning that the situation could lead to pollution and disease outbreaks.
During an inspection of the site with members of his enforcement team, the council chairman said several trucks were found offloading refuse while others waited to dump more waste.
He condemned the development, insisting that Sagamu would not be turned into a dumping ground for waste generated outside the local government.
“I cannot sit back and allow the health of our people and the environment to be compromised by people bringing waste from another state. Sagamu is not a dumping ground for other states,” Odulate said.
As part of the enforcement exercise, some of the trucks were impounded, while others were ordered to return to Lagos without offloading their waste.
The Rector of the Southwestern Nigerian College of Health Technology, Dr. Adedayo Adebanjo, commended the council chairman for responding promptly to concerns raised by the institution and neighbouring communities, urging the authorities to sustain the enforcement to prevent future illegal waste dumping.