The Lagos State Government has announced that residents who patronise illegal roadside traders will begin facing arrest and prosecution from next week, in a major expansion of its campaign against unauthorised street trading across the state.

The Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, said the enforcement would target not only traders operating in prohibited public spaces but also customers who purchase goods from them. The agency said both parties are liable under the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.

The announcement follows Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s declaration of what he described as a “small state of emergency” on Lagos’ growing waste and environmental sanitation challenges, with the government intensifying efforts to restore order in public spaces.

LAWMA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the state could no longer allow roads, medians, walkways, setbacks and other public spaces to be converted into informal markets.

According to him, illegal roadside trading contributes significantly to indiscriminate waste disposal, obstructs drainage channels, restricts pedestrian movement and worsens traffic congestion across Lagos.

Gbadegesin warned that enforcement officers would no longer overlook buyers who sustain the illegal markets through patronage.

“If there are no buyers, there will be no sellers. Anyone caught patronising traders in unauthorised locations will be arrested and prosecuted alongside the traders,” he said.

The enforcement will be carried out in collaboration with the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, LAGESC, formerly known as the KAI Brigade, alongside other environmental enforcement agencies. The agencies are expected to monitor major roads, medians, pedestrian walkways, bridges and other locations where street trading has persisted despite previous restrictions.

The Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017 prohibits trading on highways, road setbacks, drainage alignments, medians and other designated public infrastructure. Offenders are liable to prosecution before the appropriate environmental courts upon arrest.

The government said the latest measure is intended to improve environmental sanitation rather than target legitimate businesses operating within approved markets.

Gbadegesin urged residents to patronise recognised markets and commercial centres, arguing that roadside trading undermines urban planning and creates avoidable public health and safety risks.

He also noted that waste generated by informal roadside markets often ends up in drainage systems, contributing to flooding during heavy rainfall and increasing the burden on the state’s waste management infrastructure.

The renewed crackdown comes after several previous operations by Lagos authorities to remove illegal traders from major corridors including Oyingbo, Mushin, Lekki and other parts of the metropolis, where officials cited traffic obstruction and environmental degradation as recurring concerns.

With enforcement scheduled to commence next week, the Lagos government has advised residents to desist from buying goods from traders occupying roads, pedestrian walkways and other unauthorised locations, warning that ignorance of the law will not exempt offenders from arrest or prosecution.

According to LAWMA, the objective is to reclaim public spaces, improve sanitation and create a safer, more orderly urban environment for residents across Lagos State.