- Lagos Arrests 150 Over Open Defecation
- Targets Open Defecation Offenders
- Builds New Toilet Facilities
The Lagos State Government has intensified its crackdown on open defecation, confirming that 150 individuals were arrested for the offence in 2025 as part of ongoing efforts to improve sanitation across the state.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made this known on Sunday during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing held to mark the seventh year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
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He explained that the arrests also included squatters who were removed from pedestrian bridges, which were subsequently cleaned and restored for public use.
Wahab added that enforcement is being complemented with infrastructure development, as the government is currently constructing 20 toilet facilities comprising 200 toilet units and 40 bathrooms with urinals for men. He noted that the project is about 70% completed and includes provisions for persons with disabilities as well as solar-powered systems and an on-site waste treatment plant.
According to him, Lagos currently has over 1,710 public toilets spread across parks, markets, residential areas, and other public spaces across 20 Local Government Areas and 37 LCDAs.
The commissioner also revealed that the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) task force intensified enforcement activities in 2025, issuing 192 environmental abatement notices and arresting 6,789 people for offences such as illegal highway crossing and failure to use pedestrian bridges.
In addition, 3,786 other offenders, including illegal traders, street hawkers, cart pushers, and other environmental violators, were also arrested during various operations across the state.
Wahab said all arrested individuals were prosecuted in line with existing Lagos State environmental laws.
Beyond enforcement, he disclosed that the ministry held about 170 stakeholder engagement meetings with communities to improve compliance and promote environmental awareness.
On flood control efforts, he said the state approved and completed maintenance dredging of 18 primary drainage channels covering about 76 kilometres. He also noted that 2,218 structures obstructing drainage paths were identified, while 1,544 were removed, representing about a 70% success rate.
He added that over 100 kilometres of secondary drainage collectors and 30 kilometres of primary channels are currently under construction across different parts of the state.
Wahab further highlighted the resumption of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise as a major achievement, noting that residents’ participation has been encouraging.
He also reaffirmed Lagos State’s commitment to a circular economy in waste management, saying the state generates over 13,000 metric tonnes of waste daily and is gradually moving away from the traditional “collect and dump” system.
On environmental protection, the government confiscated banned Styrofoam and single-use plastics worth about ₦5 million and removed over 137,000 kilograms of plastic waste from the environment in 2025.
He also disclosed that nine facilities were sealed for illegal wetland encroachment across Ogombo, Lekki Phase II, Itoikin-Epe axis, and Majidun in Ikorodu.
On tree planting, the state recorded 16,966 trees planted and 13,572 successfully established across all five divisions of Lagos.
Wahab urged residents to participate in the upcoming environmental sanitation exercise scheduled for May 30, especially in the aftermath of the Eid celebrations.
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