The Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) has sealed Dahua Paper Company Limited, Owowo Village, near Abeokuta, for operating an illegal dumpsite and engaging in open burning of waste.

The Managing Director of OGWAMA, Faruk Akintunde, led the authority’s enforcement team to seal the company on Tuesday.

Speaking with journalists,  Mr Akintunde said the action followed months of monitoring and intelligence gathering, which revealed that the company operated an illegal dumpsite opposite its factory.

He said the company was caught dumping and burning waste at the site, contrary to the Ogun State Environmental and Public Health Law 2006 and Section 2(b)(a) of the OGWAMA Law 2020.

According to him, the law prohibits individuals and corporate organisations from engaging in open burning of waste and prescribes severe penalties for offenders, including the sealing of facilities.

“To confirm our intelligence report, the company was found operating at the illegal dumpsite and pushing waste into a river at the end of the dumpsite,” Mr Akintunde said.

The OGWAMA boss explained that the practice could contaminate water bodies and underground water, noting that the affected river served nearby villages and could endanger residents’ health.

He added that two lorries allegedly used by the company to transport and dump waste at the illegal site were also found at the location and confiscated by the authority.

“To confirm our intelligence report about them, the company dossier was found operating at the illegal dumpsite, pushing the waste to a river at the end of the dumpsite.

“Thereby contaminating the water bodies and polluting the underground water as the river serves nearby villages, hence putting the health of villagers in danger.

“Aside from these, two lorries used by the company to dump their waste at the illegal dumpsites were also caught on site and have equally been confiscated,” he said.

Mr Akintunde said the company would remain shut while facing the full weight of the law, warning other individuals and organisations operating illegal dumpsites or engaging in open waste burning to desist.

He urged offenders to register with the authority and adopt approved methods of waste disposal, warning that the long arm of the law would eventually catch up with violators.

(NAN)