By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has apprehended 55 environmental offenders in Ibadan, the state capital, for violating environmental laws in August 2026.
The offenders were arrested by the ministry’s Environmental Vanguards and subsequently prosecuted and convicted in accordance with the law, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Ademola Aderinto, said.
Aderinto disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade.
He said the arrests were part of the ministry’s intensified monitoring and enforcement efforts to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and maintain a clean, healthy and habitable environment across the state.
The commissioner warned residents, business owners and other stakeholders against activities capable of degrading the environment, stressing that environmental laws must be obeyed.
He specifically warned against open dumping and the disposal of refuse on road medians, which he said were prohibited in the state.
Aderinto urged residents to support the government’s environmental efforts by complying with regulations, practising proper waste disposal and promptly reporting environmental violations to the relevant authorities.
He added that refuse must be disposed of through accredited waste contractors directly from the source, in line with the state’s approved waste management system.
