A special Offences Mobile Court in Oshodi on Monday sentenced a 48-year-old man, Makinde Rasaq, who was arrested with a Honda SUV filled with refuse last week at Lagos Island, to 13 months community service at Kirikiri.
According to a statement by the Lagos State Government, the accused, who faced seven charges, pleaded guilty to all seven charges and was subsequently sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment with an option of community service for all the offences, totalling 13 months’ community service, which will be served at Kirikiri.
The offences included breach of peace, indiscriminate dumping of waste, non-patronage of PSP operators, illegal transportation of waste without a valid license and obstruction of officers from carrying out their duties.
The convicted man who was arrested in the act of illegally dumping refuse on Saturday night at the Tinubu fountain in Central Lagos is suspected to be part of a syndicate deliberately dumping refuse around the state to create a narrative that Lagos is dirty.
He was subsequently placed in detention at Adeniji-Adele Police station before he was handed over to Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officers for arraignment by the legal officials from the State Ministry of Justice.
Speaking on the latest conviction which went viral, the Managing Director of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbedegesin, said the message of the conviction is a declaration of zero tolerance on indiscriminate waste disposal to everyone.
He warned residents to ensure proper waste disposal through patronage of the LAWMA-accredited PSP operators, as this is in accordance with the Environmental Laws of Lagos State.
He reiterated that residents should desist from the unwholesome waste disposal, as generation of waste is an unavoidable aspect of existence, adding that residents must always patronise the Private Sector Partnership (PSP) for better service delivery.
