The Lagos State Police Command has described the arrest of residents during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise on Saturday, 25 July 2026, as the result of a communication lapse.
The clarification followed complaints from residents who alleged that they were arrested and intimidated by police officers while moving around during the sanitation exercise.
Responding to the complaints, the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, stated that there was no restriction on movement during the exercise.
“For clarity, there is no restriction on movement during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise,” Wahab said.
He added that arresting anyone solely for moving around during the exercise was unlawful and did not reflect the policy or position of the Lagos State Government.
According to the commissioner, the monthly environmental sanitation exercise was reintroduced to promote and strengthen the culture of environmental cleanliness across the state and is backed by the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.
He, however, stressed that the law does not authorise restrictions on movement during the exercise.
“Our focus is on encouraging Lagosians to embrace environmental sanitation as a civic responsibility and a shared commitment to maintaining a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Lagos, rather than relying on enforcement measures,” Wahab said.
When contacted by The Guardian, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the incident resulted from a communication gap and that the Command was engaging with the state government to clarify the policy.
“There is a communication gap somewhere, and the Command is working with the government for clarity,” he said.
