By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, on Friday, arraigned four suspects before Lagos State Special Offences, Mobile Court, Bolade, Oshodi, over unlawful disposal of waste in various locations in the metropolis.

Delivering judgment, Magistrate Ibunkun Abina, having found them guilty, sentenced them to three months imprisonment for violating Lagos State Environmental law.

They were also given an option of paying a fine of five thousand naira each with three hours community service in place of three months imprisonment.

Magistrate Abina, who sentenced the convicts after they pleaded guilty to offences ranging from indiscriminate dumping of wastes in an unauthorized places, said the action would serve as deterrent to other persons who are in the habit of indiscriminate dumping of refuse in an unauthorized locations in the metropolis.

She noted that the action contributes to flooding and environtal pollution in the state.

The prosecutor, Mr. Arigbabu Adeola, during trial, told the Magistrate that the offenders: Taiwo Ibrahim, 45, from Mushin, Lagos, Abubakar Mohammed, 47, from Kano, Emmanuel James, 19, from, Cross Rivers and Afeez Quadri, 20, from Igboora, Oyo State, were arrested in some locations, such as: Agege, Mushin, Ikeja, in the metropolis for dumping wastes, pet bottles, thereby, violating environmental laws which prohibit anyone from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in unauthorized locations.

One of the convicts: Ibrahim, who pleaded guilty to the offence, said he was actually dropping disposable plates and can drink at a spot in Ojuwoye area of Mushin and he was caught in the process by LAWMA Taskforce for indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

He recalled: “I felt bad about it and i was charged to Mobile Court Bolade Oshodi. I pleaded guilty for the offences,” he told Vanguard.

Another convict, James, also expressed regret for the action that brought him to court, just for dumping refuse on roadside.

“I was not aware it was an offence to drop refuse in the place. It has been long we dropped refuse at the place.

“I was arrested, yesterday (Thursday) night by LAWMA, Taskforce. If I was aware, would not drop any refuse there. I was arrested during a raid around 8:36pm. I’m not happy about it. I was about to drop it and i was picked up at Agege. I picked the refuse from my mum shop, and take it to where we use to drop it for LAWMA to evacuate it the following day. That’s where we used to drop refuse I was not aware that they were on monitoring that fateful night.”

Quadri, from Igboora, Oyo State who was arrested at Ile-Epo Oke-Odo area of Lagos, said he saw people dumping refuse in the area that was why he dropped refuse generated at roadside.

He narrated: “I saw heaps of refuse at the spot that’s why I carried the refuse we generated to the place. The LAWMA waste collectors didn’t come to our area, that was why we dump waste at strategic locations.”

Mohammed, a cart pusher, during trial appealed to Magistrate to tamper justice with mercy, saying, “I was not aware that it’s an offence to drop waste on the road.”