Senior human rights lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, has thrown down the gauntlet against the Lagos State government, declaring its monthly environmental sanitation movement restrictions illegal and a brazen violation of citizens’ constitutional rights.
In a strongly worded statement released on Saturday, Adegboruwa took aim at the state government’s standing directive that compels residents to remain indoors every last Saturday of the month between 6:30am and 8:30am — arguing that no law on the books in Lagos actually authorises such a clampdown.
“For the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever, there is currently no law in force in Lagos State which permits the government to restrict the movement of persons for the purpose of enforcing monthly environmental sanitation,” the senior advocate declared.
The lawyer went further, alleging that authorities have been enforcing the directive through intimidation rather than legitimate legal authority — with security operatives, LASTMA officials, health officers, and alleged touts reportedly deployed to confront residents found outside their homes during the restricted hours.
Adegboruwa also challenged the government’s claim that the policy derives its authority from a 2017 health law, pointing out that the legislation has never been made publicly available. He dared the authorities to produce the law for public scrutiny, suggesting its existence is questionable.
Beyond the legal argument, the lawyer took a broader swipe at the policy itself, describing it as a relic of military-era governance that has no place in a city positioning itself as a global megacity. He argued that Lagos cannot simultaneously court international recognition while clinging to coercive enforcement tactics that contradict global best practices.
Adegboruwa warned that an elected government has no business using the machinery of the state to suppress the very people who put it in power, stressing that freedom of movement is a constitutionally guaranteed right that cannot be suspended by administrative convenience.
The Lagos State government, however, is standing its ground. Environment and Water Resources Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab maintained that the sanitation window is designed for residents to clean their immediate surroundings and clear drainage channels — framing it as a civic responsibility rather than a rights violation.
The standoff raises pointed questions about the legal basis of one of Lagos’ longest-running public health directives — and whether the government can continue enforcing it without transparent legislative backing.
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