The Lagos State Environmental Taskforce has arrested 56 suspects during an overnight clean-up enforcement operation in parts of the state’s Mainland area.
The development was disclosed in a video and short statement shared on X on Saturday by the Commissioner for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab.
The commissioner said the operation was carried out in continuation of the agency’s drive to rid the state of what he described as “criminal elements,” with the task force setting out at about 12:20am on January 10, 2026.
He said officers moved into the Mainland axis, focusing on Akowonjo Road by Cele Bus Stop, where they allegedly discovered widespread violations of environmental and public order laws.
“The team observed the entire road along Akowonjo by Cele bus stop has been converted to beer parlour, drug peddling at different levels taking place and presence of criminal elements,” the statement read.
Read also:
- 3-month jail term awaits Lagos residents for improper waste disposal
- Lagos assembly crisis nears resolution as Speaker Meranda set to resign
- Lagos warns unapproved private schools to register or face sanctions
Wahab added that operatives cleared the area of what he termed “violations of the state environmental laws,” while also working to “ward off criminal activities.”
During the raid, he said, chairs, tables and other items occupying the roadway and obstructing the free flow of traffic were seized.
“During the operation, 56 suspects were arrested and will be arraigned in court as soon as possible,” the commissioner disclosed.
He noted that the exercise forms part of the state government’s ongoing enforcement campaign across different parts of the metropolis, as authorities intensify efforts to clamp down on street trading, illegal structures and activities considered a threat to public safety and environmental sanity.
