In conjunction with the crackdown, the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LSEC), commonly known as KAI, held a stakeholders’ meeting.
Lagos, Nigeria – The Lagos State Government has announced its intention to prosecute six individuals arrested for urinating on a rail line near the Nigeria Army Shopping Complex, Arena, in Oshodi.
This crackdown comes in the wake of the state’s recent declaration of zero tolerance for open defecation and urination.
The arrests were made by the state’s Special Taskforce, less than 48 hours after the government’s vow to strictly enforce environmental laws against such offenses.
The state’s Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, shared details of the incident via his official X.com handle on Saturday.
“Six defaulters were earlier today arrested for open urination on the rail track in front of the Nigeria Army Shopping Complex, Arena, Oshodi,” Wahab stated.
This enforcement action is part of a broader campaign launched by the Lagos State Government to combat environmental degradation.
The campaign, which began on Thursday, focuses on areas like the Berger Expressway and rail lines, where open defecation and urination have been prevalent.
In conjunction with the crackdown, the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LSEC), commonly known as KAI, held a stakeholders’ meeting.
During the meeting, the Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Cole (Retd), instructed officers to enforce the directive without exception, warning that all offenders would be prosecuted in accordance with state environmental laws.
As part of the advocacy and sanitation efforts, environmental operatives recently cleaned up faeces from the median of the Berger Expressway.
The exercise was led by Gaji Omobolaji, the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Environmental Services, who emphasized the importance of these actions in preventing the spread of communicable diseases like cholera and diarrhea.
Omobolaji, along with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Olawale Musa, and other senior officials, underscored the government’s commitment to eradicating the problem. They announced that enforcement teams, including the anti-open defecation squad and KAI, would work in shifts to ensure offenders are apprehended and prosecuted.
“It is appalling and shameful to find people defecating and urinating in open places, especially on the road and road medians,” Omobolaji remarked. “These actions are unacceptable and require a lasting solution.”
Major Cole reinforced this stance, urging KAI officers to remain vigilant and uncompromising in their duties. “Enough is enough,” he declared, adding that the clean-up exercise will be extended to every area in the state. “Lagos must remain clean for all, and any offender caught would be prosecuted accordingly.”
Cole also warned that any officer found engaging in corrupt practices would face disciplinary action. “The government’s crackdown is aimed at maintaining a clean and healthy environment in Lagos, with the hope that strict enforcement will deter future offenses,” he concluded.
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