Nigerian Army Officer Floods Lagos Neighborhood with Toxic Waste

Aderonke Kehinde/

A landlady in Ogun State has complained that a soldier pursuing a military career and private business is making her life and tenants’ lives miserable by turning her house into a stinking junkyard of hazardous wastes that sent residents packing.

Recounting her ordeal with the officer identified as Colonel Phillips Oluwafeyijimi Emmanuel, Mrs. Olu Osanyinbi said, “I met Colonel Emmanuel in 2001 through Pastor Gboyega Joshua. He introduced him as a member of the Winners (Church) and told me he wanted to buy land. Being a winner myself, I assumed he was a gentleman. I sold one of my two plots at Sango to him. The remaining plot has a boys’ quarters on it.

According to Mrs. Osanyinbi, the tenant in the boys’ quarters, Mr. Adeleye, started complaining about the unbearable stench from heaps of toxic waste dumped on the premises.

When contacted, Colonel Phillips, told NewsmakersNG: “Those things are wastes from pampers raw materials meant for recycling business. The machine that was expected for the company got delayed. Unfortunately, rain fell on it and those things swelled up and knocked down the fence thereby rolling over to the other compound.

“It was also blocking the road. I had to evacuate some of them. I am now disposing of things that are supposed to bring me money.”

Pastor Joshua who linked the officer with Mrs. Osanyinbi said that Colonel Phillips was making efforts but not determined to evacuate the junks.

“It has been over two years that he’s been promising to evacuate the things to no avail. A few months ago, he asked us to get some men to evacuate the waste from Mama’s land, but he didn’t pay. We would have packed the waste before rain fell on it and the things now got out of hand.

“Mama has sent another Pastor to appeal to him, but he appears unserious,” Pastor Joshua said.

 Mrs Osanyinbi said, “It’s been three years now that he has been messing up my property at Sango. The tenant at the boys’ quarter packed out because of it. Colonel Phillips did not bother. That is the wickedness of the highest order. He promised many times to evacuate the rubbish from my land but failed. He sent a voice note to me in February that he has rented a wheel loader, and that he would start the evacuation; till now nothing has been done.”

In his reaction, Colonel Phillips said, “I asked mummy to let me pay the rent of the boys’ quarter, but she said No. She said that we were going to mess it up.

“Unfortunately, when things got out of hand I wasn’t around. I went for training. It rained and the things got swollen and spread everywhere. I would have packed them but there is no place to dispose of them.

“I wrote the Ministry of Environment. I wrote the Commissioner. I also wrote the Governor. He has not replied. These things take time. I have also written a letter to be taken to government-acquired dumpsite. It must go through a process.

“I would have burnt it, but they don’t allow things to be burnt in the area. Although we have moved some of it,” Colonel Phillips said.

While responding to why he didn’t pay the people arranged to clear the place, Colonel Phillips said, “They charged N400,000, and I asked if they will also do the front of the land that broke the fence. They said No. I asked Pastor how do we do this? I said okay; if it is that I will support it. If they don’t do the front of our land, I will also spend money to do it. God sees my heart.

“I wanted to take the ones on Mama’s land, and they told me it will come back unless we take about 10 to 20 tippers. I have already begged Mama that I will do the needful.”

Mrs Osanyinbi said he had been saying he would evacuate the wastes for close to three years now, adding: “He is not a man of his word. He thinks he can do anything because he is an Army officer. I want to appeal to authority to help me.”

NewsmakersNG is yet to receive a response after a report was sent to the emergency telephone numbers of the Nigerian Army Human Rights department (08160134303, 08161507644) over the alleged harassment by the army officer.

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