The Lagos State Government has announced that from next week, enforcement against illegal roadside trading will be extended to buyers who patronise traders operating on roadsides, medians, walkways, setbacks and other unauthorised public spaces.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this at the agency’s headquarters on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
According to Gbadegesin, the measure is pursuant to Section 151(2) of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017 and forms part of a renewed enforcement strategy aimed at curbing illegal trading, indiscriminate waste disposal and obstruction of public infrastructure across the state.
He said enforcement would no longer be directed only at roadside traders, but also at people whose patronage sustains the illegal activity.
“The law does not only prohibit illegal street trading. It also makes it an offence to buy goods exposed or offered for sale in prohibited places,” Gbadegesin said.
“From next week, anyone found buying from traders operating on roadsides, medians, walkways, setbacks or other unauthorised spaces will be arrested, alongside the traders, and prosecuted in accordance with the law.”
The LAWMA boss said a person convicted of the offence could be liable to a fine of ₦90,000, imprisonment for six months, or both.
He explained that the state was broadening enforcement because repeated clearance operations had failed to permanently stop illegal roadside trading in some areas, as traders often returned when buyers continued to patronise them.
“Our objective is to stop the cycle that allows illegal trading and indiscriminate waste disposal to return after enforcement operations. Traders occupy public spaces because people continue to patronise them,” he said.
Gbadegesin added that buyers must understand that patronising illegal roadside markets helps to sustain the practice and could therefore expose them to liability under the law.
He said illegal roadside and median markets frequently generate waste that is dumped into drains, roads and other public spaces, contributing to blocked drainage channels, traffic obstruction and public health concerns.
The Lagos State Government has repeatedly warned traders against occupying walkways, road setbacks and drainage channels.
In February 2025, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, warned that continued trading on walkways damaged public infrastructure and obstructed drainage systems.
According to him, the authority would address genuine waste collection gaps, but deliberate dumping, redumping and continued patronage of illegal markets would attract enforcement.
According to him, the authority would address genuine waste collection gaps, but deliberate dumping, redumping and continued patronage of illegal markets would attract enforcement.
He urged residents and businesses to patronise recognised markets and use approved waste collection channels rather than contribute to practices that obstruct public spaces.
The LAWMA boss said personal convenience should not take precedence over public health, environmental sanitation, road safety and the orderly use of shared spaces.
The latest directive builds on earlier enforcement operations against street trading in Lagos.
In June 2025, the state government cleared illegal traders from the median of Ojo-Alaba Road in a joint operation involving the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps and LAWMA, during which three persons were arrested for allegedly obstructing the enforcement exercise.
The government said the operation formed part of its broader campaign to restore environmental order and improve safety on major roads.