By Desire Emmanuel
It was a messy situation in Lagos State on Wednesday, April 1, when officials of the Lagos State government discovered that Access Bank building at Oniru, Victoria Island, was discharging its raw sewage into the public drainage system.
Attempt by officials of the Lagos State Wastewater Management office to enforce sanction and seal off the facility for the infraction was resisted by the security staff of the bank who were said to have attacked the team.
It was gathered that following a tip-off, officials of the agency visited the building on Wednesday where it was discovered that the wastewater treatment plant at the facility was non-functional, resulting in the discharge of untreated faecal matter into the public drainage system and causing severe damage to the environment.
According to a statement by the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on Wednesday night, during the enforcement visit, officials of the agency were denied access to seal the facility, as security personnel and management representatives of the bank resisted the officers and, in the process, attacked members of the enforcement team.
“Consequently, the LSWMO team took samples of the effluent being discharged from the premises for laboratory analysis and result of test came back positive,” the statement added.
The commissioner stated that the state government will also proceed to court to obtain the necessary orders for the arrest and prosecution of individuals involved in the attack on government officials carrying out their lawful duties.
“Meanwhile, enforcement officers will be reinforced to return and seal off the property in line with the Lagos State Environmental Laws,” he added.
