A young Nigerian man has reportedly been remanded in Kirikiri prison after being found guilty of dumping refuse illegally by the roadside. This development has stirred widespread reactions and outrage across various social media platforms.
The incident, which took place in the Ketu-Alapere area of Lagos, saw the man caught on video by a volunteer officer of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). In the footage, the man was seen offloading waste from his vehicle and disposing of it carelessly along the roadside. The volunteer officer, acting on LAWMA’s zero-tolerance policy, followed up by tracing the man to his home address, where he was apprehended and handed over to law enforcement officials.
The video documenting the act was later shared by Jubril Gawat, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Gawat condemned the man's action, saying, “Just look at a normal human being carrying waste in his car to dump on the road.” The video post was tagged with hashtags such as #KeepLagosClean and #ZeroToleranceLagos to emphasize the importance of maintaining a hygienic environment in the state.
This arrest and subsequent remand come at a time when many Lagosians are complaining about the state’s deteriorating sanitation conditions, with the phrase ‘Lagos is smelling’ trending online as residents express frustration over uncollected waste and foul odors pervading several neighborhoods.
Public backlash follows
While some Nigerians applauded the swift action as a necessary step to enforce environmental laws, many others criticised the Lagos State Government’s decision to remand the man in Kirikiri prison — a facility reserved for severe criminal cases.
Critics labeled the punishment as overly harsh and called for alternative penalties such as community service or monetary fines. They pointed out that although improper waste disposal is a serious offense, sending a civilian to a maximum-security prison might be extreme given the broader waste management failures of the city itself.
Instagram user @grandstyl2.4.7 wrote: “Imagine being in Kirikiri with hardened criminals simply because you dumped refuse wrongly.”
omaalicha___ commented: “To put average citizens in jail no Dey hard una, why can’t you just fine him?”
lyrics_dmw added: “Nigeria government will find every little opportunity to sha send you go jail, and people wey worth the jail are moving freely with escort… rubbish country.”
henry_aniegboka_ noted: “This shows that this present government dey see everything happening online, but only wan to work on their own terms.”
Watch the video below …
Yesterday, 20th May 2025, one of @Lawma_gov’s volunteer officers captured this video of an unknown offender in the act of dumping refuse illegally at the location.
Just Look at a normal human being carrying waste in his car to dump on the road. This happened at Ketu Alapere.… pic.twitter.com/LhVYNXySze
— Jubril A. Gawat (@Mr_JAGs) May 21, 2025