The Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) has shut down Dahua Paper Company Limited at Owiwi Village, near Obada-Oko, Abeokuta, for allegedly operating an illegal dumpsite and openly burning waste.

The state government said the actions violated the State Environmental and Public Health Law 2006 and Section 2(b)(a) of the OGWAMA Law 2020, which prohibit the open burning of waste by individuals and corporate organisations.

Leading the enforcement team, the Special Adviser to the Governor and Managing Director of OGWAMA, Faruk Akintunde, said the company was shut down after months of monitoring and intelligence gathering.

According to him, the company was allegedly caught operating an illegal dumpsite opposite its factory, where waste generated by the firm was dumped and burnt.

He said the activities posed a serious threat to nearby communities because the dumpsite was located close to a river serving residents of surrounding villages.

“To confirm our intelligence report about them, the company 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 and puts the health of villagers in danger,” Akintunde said.

He added that two lorries allegedly used by the company to dispose of waste at the illegal dumpsite were also found at the site and confiscated.

Akintunde said the company would remain shut and face the full weight of the law, warning other individuals and businesses involved in illegal waste disposal or open burning to desist.

He urged businesses generating waste to register with OGWAMA and ensure that their waste was disposed of through approved channels.

The OGWAMA boss said the enforcement was part of the state government’s efforts to protect the environment and safeguard residents from the health risks associated with improper waste disposal and open burning.