The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps, popularly known as KAI, has rescued four nursing mothers and their babies from an illegal dumpsite in the Agboju area of Lagos State.
The rescue was carried out on Monday during an ongoing inter-agency cleanup of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway corridor. The operation, which has been ongoing for several weeks, is aimed at clearing environmental violations, illegal structures and other obstructions along the route.
The Corps Marshal of LAGESC, Major Olaniyi Cole (retd.), disclosed the development in a statement shared on the agency’s X handle on Tuesday. He said operatives discovered the women living with their babies in shanties and illegal dumpsites under what he described as inhumane conditions.
Cole said the women were living amid filth, poor air quality and hunger, making their rescue necessary to prevent a possible loss of life. He said the agency provided medical assistance to the women and their babies after removing them from the area.
“To our utter amazement, we discovered that there are young nursing mothers living in inhumane conditions in these illegal dumpsites and shanties,” Cole said. He added that the women would be reunited with their families or handed over to relevant welfare authorities after receiving appropriate care.
The rescued women were identified as 23-year-old Fareedat Muyideen from Kwara State, who was with her two-year-old baby; 25-year-old Ayomide Ayomoke from Ondo State, with her 10-month-old baby; 20-year-old Amanda Oziema Abalihi from Anambra State, with her nine-day-old baby; and 24-year-old Chisom Ugo from Imo State, with her 11-month-old baby.
Cole appealed to relatives who may be searching for the women to come forward, saying they were receiving medical attention and would be discharged once they were medically fit. He added that LAGESC was collaborating with relevant agencies to ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
The Corps Marshal also urged parents and guardians to closely monitor their children, noting that some young people had reportedly left their homes and ended up living on the streets due to alleged maltreatment.
He reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s commitment to tackling child abuse and neglect, warning that parents or guardians found culpable of abusing or neglecting children could face prosecution.
