The Oyo State Government through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has sealed two shopping complexes in the Gbagi area of Ibadan following a violent attack on its enforcement officers during a night operation on Tuesday.
The decisive action according to the ministry underscores its firm commitment to upholding environmental discipline and enforcing the Oyo State Environmental Sanitation and Waste Management Regulation (2013).
According to reports, the Environmental Response Rapid Squad (ERRS) and Environmental Health Officers were on a night patrol around 9:00 p.m. when three individuals were apprehended for illegally dumping waste on the road median, an offence punishable under the state’s environmental laws.
However, the operation turned chaotic when some occupants and traders within the area allegedly mobilized themselves to resist the arrest, attacked the officers, and forcibly freed the arrested offenders. The situation escalated, and three government officers sustained injuries while others were forced to retreat for safety.
Following the incident, the Ministry of Environment obtained a court order from Justice Olumide Abifarin authorizing the sealing of the two shopping complexes directly linked to the obstruction and attack. The Ministry described the action as necessary to preserve law and order, and as a warning to anyone who might attempt to hinder environmental enforcement in the future.
A senior official of the Ministry who led the operation confirmed that the sealing was not just punitive but preventive, meant to restore sanity and deter similar confrontations in the future. He added that officers of the Ministry will continue their monitoring across Ibadan and other zones to ensure strict compliance with environmental regulations.
The Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources condemned the attack in strong terms, stating that such behavior violates Section 9 of the Oyo State Environmental Sanitation and Waste Management Regulation, which empowers officers to apprehend violators and prosecute them in an Environmental Mobile Court. The Ministry stressed that no individual or business premise is above the law, and that any act of resistance against lawful enforcement will attract immediate legal consequences.
The Ministry, therefore, called on residents, traders, and property owners to cooperate with environmental officers, desist from illegal dumping of refuse, and always use designated waste collection points.