Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Ogun State Government has vowed to prosecute and sanction a company caught allegedly discharging industrial waste at the Sagamu interchange along the Sagamu-Siun-Abeokuta Expressway, in an incident that was witnessed and recorded by the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade.
The Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, disclosed the government’s position on Wednesday while reacting to a video of the incident posted on Facebook by Ogungbade. The two-minute video showed a Sinotruk truck discharging its contents beside the expressway. The truck driver was also seen becoming aggressive after realising that he was being recorded. Ogungbade, explaining how he encountered the incident, said he saw the truck discharging the waste at about 12.45 p.m. on Monday, October 12, 2026, while returning to Abeokuta. “I saw the truck on my way back to Abeokuta about 12.45 p.m. discharging the waste. I asked my driver to stop, and my orderly and I got down to confront them,” he said. “The men in the vehicle were aggressive, as you could see from the video. I then asked my driver to fetch some policemen who were stationed nearby, but before they returned, the people took off. I informed my colleague, the Honourable Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya, and he is already dealing with the matter. I believe they have been able to identify the company.”
In a chat with journalists, Oresanya said the company would face prosecution and sanctions in accordance with the state’s environmental laws. “The company will be prosecuted and sanctioned according to the law. The name of the company is boldly written on the truck and the location is known, so there’s no way to escape the consequences of that action,” he said. The commissioner’s statement signals that the government has identified the company responsible and is prepared to pursue legal action, though the name of the firm has not yet been publicly disclosed pending the conclusion of preliminary investigations.
The incident comes amid a sustained enforcement campaign by the Ogun State Government against illegal waste disposal by industries operating in the state. In August 2026, the Ogun State Waste Management Authority sealed Dahua Paper Company Limited in Owiwi Village, Abeokuta, over alleged illegal waste disposal and open burning of industrial waste. The agency said the company’s activities contravened the Ogun State Environmental and Public Health Law 2006 and Section 2(b)(a) of the OGWAMA Law 2020, which prohibit open-air waste burning and unauthorised dumping of refuse. In May 2026, OGWAMA sealed an automobile assembly plant for waste burning and sanctioned Camellin Industry Limited, located along the Sagamu Interchange axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, for a similar offence. The agency also shut down the Avalon Industrial Estate in Moloko-Asipa along the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway over alleged indiscriminate dumping of industrial and hazardous waste.
The enforcement actions have been accompanied by a series of prosecutions. In August 2026, an Ogun State Magistrate Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, sentenced fourteen waste offenders to fourteen days imprisonment for improper waste disposal. They were found guilty on a two-count charge of contravening the OGWAMA Law, which forbids dumping of waste indiscriminately in public places, as well as the Public Health Law. In April 2026, OGWAMA arrested and prosecuted 108 alleged violators of environmental laws in Abeokuta. In May 2026, 45 residents were arrested and sanctioned for indiscriminate waste disposal. The agency has consistently warned that anyone arrested again for the same offence would be prosecuted in line with the state’s environmental laws.
The legal framework governing waste management in Ogun State includes the Ogun State Waste Management Authority Law 2020, which prohibits individuals and corporate organisations from engaging in open burning of waste and prescribes severe penalties for offenders, including the sealing of facilities. Section 27 of the law prohibits industries from under-declaring waste volumes, open burning and dumping industrial waste in unauthorised locations. Section 34(1) provides additional penalties for violations. The Ogun State Environmental and Public Health Law 2006 also contains provisions prohibiting open-air waste burning and unauthorised dumping of refuse.
The political context of the incident is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. Ogun State, as a key South-West state and a major industrial hub, will be one of the battlegrounds in the presidential contest. Governor Dapo Abiodun, who is serving his second term and is ineligible to seek re-election as governor, remains a key political figure in the state and a supporter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid. The government’s handling of environmental enforcement is part of the broader record it will present to voters, and the prosecution of a company caught dumping industrial waste on a major expressway is an opportunity to demonstrate that the administration is serious about protecting the environment and holding offenders accountable, regardless of their corporate status.
For the people of Ogun State, the incident is a reminder of the environmental and public health risks posed by illegal industrial waste disposal. The Sagamu interchange and surrounding areas have been the scene of repeated dumping incidents, and the government’s decision to prosecute the company responsible signals a determination to address the problem. For the company involved, the investigation and potential prosecution represent a significant legal and financial risk, though it is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. For the government, the case is a test of whether its environmental laws can be enforced effectively against corporate offenders, and whether the prosecution will serve as a deterrent to others who might be tempted to dump waste illegally. As Oresanya put it, the company will be prosecuted and sanctioned according to the law, and with the name of the company boldly written on the truck and the location known, there is no way to escape the consequences of that action. The coming weeks will determine whether the prosecution proceeds and whether the case becomes a precedent for environmental accountability in Ogun State.
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