{"id":195976,"date":"2026-02-23T20:03:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T19:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos"},"modified":"2026-02-23T21:26:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T20:26:56","slug":"46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos","title":{"rendered":"46 arrested for open defecation in Lagos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>The Lagos State Government has arrested 46 individuals for open defecation as part of its ongoing efforts to protect public health and maintain environmental sanitation across the state.<\/p>\n

The arrests were carried out by the state\u2019s Anti-Open Defecation Squad during coordinated early morning operations on Lagos Island between February 20 and February 22, 2026.<\/p>\n

Making this known on Sunday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the offenders, made up of both males and females, were apprehended during routine monitoring exercises around Ebute Ero and adjoining areas, including Apongbon, Isale Eko, Marina, CMS, Obalende and Adeniji Adele.<\/p>\n

According to him, enforcement officers intensified surveillance in locations identified as frequent open defecation blackspots.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his words,\u201d Gbadegesin said: \u201cOn 20th February, 20 offenders were apprehended; 15 additional suspects were arrested on 21st February; while 11 more were picked up on 22nd February during sustained surveillance operations targeting habitual open defecation blackspots.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explained that all the suspects had been transferred to the headquarters of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) in Oshodi for further investigation and prosecution in line with the environmental laws of Lagos State.<\/p>\n

Gbadegesin noted that the enforcement exercise was part of the Lagos State Government\u2019s ongoing efforts to eliminate open defecation, protect public health and uphold sanitation standards across the metropolis.<\/p>\n

He stressed that open defecation is a clear violation of environmental regulations and poses serious health and environmental risks, especially in densely populated commercial areas.<\/p>\n

The LAWMA boss urged residents and business operators to make use of approved public sanitation facilities and avoid actions capable of undermining the state\u2019s drive for a clean and healthy environment.<\/p>\n

While reaffirming the government\u2019s commitment to sustained monitoring and enforcement, he warned that offenders would continue to be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Lagos State Government has arrested 46 individuals for open defecation as part of its ongoing efforts to protect public health and maintain environmental sanitation across the state. The arrests were carried out by the state\u2019s Anti-Open Defecation Squad during coordinated early morning operations on Lagos Island between February 20 and February […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":195975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[254],"class_list":["post-195976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\n46 arrested for open defecation in Lagos - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Lagos State Government has arrested 46 individuals for open defecation as part of its ongoing efforts to protect pub ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"46 arrested for open defecation in Lagos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Lagos State Government has arrested 46 individuals for open defecation as part of its ongoing efforts to protect pub ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-23T19:03:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-23T20:26:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/sm_1771878365.210714.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"46 arrested for open defecation in Lagos\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T19:03:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-23T20:26:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos\"},\"wordCount\":322,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/sm_1771878365.210714.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/46-arrested-for-open-defecation-in-lagos\",\"name\":\"46 arrested for open defecation in Lagos - 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