Outcry Over KAI’s Crackdown on Open Defecation Amidst Lack of Public Toilets

Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi / Posted July 18, 2025

Despite public outcry, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as KAI, has intensified its enforcement against open defecation and urination across the state, arresting dozens of individuals in recent months, as part of its poorly executed #ZeroToleranceLagos and #CleanerLagos campaigns.

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sanitation facilities in the State. Many residents and commentators calling for better infrastructure to address the obvious sanitation challenge and a corresponding mass enlightenment campaign which is a precursor to humane enforcement methods.

In the month of April 2025, KAI’s Anti-Open Defecation Task Force arrested four individuals for urinating on Kodesoh bridge in Ikeja during a late-night operation. In June, eight people were arraigned in Yaba Magistrate Court, for public urination and breach of peace. They were charged under the Lagos State Public Health Law 2015, which prohibits open urination.

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Similarly, an operation in August 2024 saw six individuals apprehended for urinating on a rail track near the Nigeria Army Shopping Complex in Oshodi. In over a year, KAI has arrested over 10,575 people for various environmental infractions, including open urination and defecation, with offenders awarded fines or facing imprisonment.

Despite the controversy, several arrests continued, after being backed by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Management Law of 2017 and the Public Health Law of 2015. Offenders can face penalties such as fines up to ₦75,000 or jail terms of up to four months, as seen in a case where a woman was fined for crossing an expressway and assaulting a KAI official.

Under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State prioritizes environmental sanitation under its development agenda aptly termed: T.H.E.M.E.S., an acronym representing the six pillars of the state’s strategic development agenda: Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism, and Security and Governance.

The government through its Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab has emphasized its commitment to maintaining public hygiene, stating, “We remain undeterred in reclaiming public spaces for safe and proper use.”

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However, the government claims public toilets are available across Lagos and mandates eateries and petrol stations to provide access, many residents argue that these facilities are insufficient, poorly maintained, or inaccessible, particularly in densely populated areas.

A 2024 Businessday report further alleged inconsistent enforcement and extortion by some KAI officials, with claims that operatives sometimes lure pedestrians into violations to extract fines. The public humiliation faced by those caught has fueled calls for the government to cushion the impact of enforcement and sensitize KAI officials on more humane operational methods.

Nonetheless, several residents including community advocates, are urging the government to address the systemic issues engendering open urination, emphasizing that the lack of affordable and accessible public toilets, combined with high monetization of existing facilities, leave many with little choice but to “look away” from paid toilets. They called for increased investment in public sanitation infrastructures and better oversight to prevent profiteering by toilet managers.

KAI’s Corps Marshal, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (rtd), has called for community cooperation, stating, “We urge all Lagosians to take ownership of their environment and work together with us to promote a cleaner state.” While the government has promised to sustain its sanitation initiatives, it has yet to announce concrete plans for expanding public toilet infrastructure or addressing the monetization issue. Sensitization programs for KAI officials are also under consideration to improve public interactions.

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Importantly, as Lagos strives to achieve its “open defecation-free” goal by the 2025 deadline set by the federal government, it is imperative for the State to deploy comprehensive strategies that uphold human dignity in enforcement. Such plan should include not only the provision of relevant sanitation infrastructures but also train and keep training the KAI officials on acceptable standards in monitoring and enforcement.