Earlier this week, news broke that a Magistrate Court in Bolade, Oshodi, convicted 13 Lagos residents for something as basic—and frankly, unavoidable—as answering nature’s call in public. Each of them was sentenced to three months in prison for urinating or defecating in the Agege and Alimosho areas.
Their names and ages paint a picture of ordinary people—men in their 20s to 50s—caught up in a problem that is bigger than them: Friday Samuel (49), Sulaimon Olalekan (54), Idris Jimoh (45), Alao Babatunde (54), Chinonso Dominic (21), Akeem Suraju (42), Lawal Idris (29), Oluwatobi Adebayo (30), Ismaila Adeyemi (35), Murtala Jamilu (20), Samson Memudia (54), Jamilu Abdullahi (29), and Ganiyu Akeem (55).
To Bayo Akinlade, former Chairman of the NBA Ikorodu Branch and Founder of the Duty Solicitors Network, this is more than just a legal issue — it’s a glaring example of governance gone wrong.
“Do we really believe that three months in an overcrowded prison is the solution?” Akinlade asked pointedly. It’s a question that should make all of us pause. Our prisons are bursting at the seams, yet we’re adding people who simply needed a toilet.
“For years, the Lagos State Government has talked about non-custodial sentencing and rehabilitation. But how does jailing people for relieving themselves fit into that vision? Where are the public toilets? Why aren’t eateries, petrol stations, and government buildings required to keep their restrooms open and functional for the public?
“Even our courts — the very place these people were tried and sentenced — often lack clean, working toilets for staff, lawyers, litigants, and visitors. If our public infrastructure doesn’t meet basic human needs, who’s really at fault?”
Akinlade didn’t mince words: “This move by the government to enforce a law when it has failed to provide the facilities that would prevent people from breaking it is irresponsible and unacceptable.”
He’s right. Lagos can do better — and must do better. It’s easy for politicians to score points with tough laws and flashy enforcement drives. But real leadership means solving the problem at its root, not punishing people for circumstances they can’t control.
“Citizens are not ballot papers to be discarded after elections,” Akinlade warned. When a government fails to provide basics like sanitation, then turns around to criminalise people for trying to cope, that’s not governance — it’s neglect.
“It’s time for Lagos to rethink how it treats its people. Public urination shouldn’t land anyone in jail. It should push us to ask better questions — and demand better answers from those in charge.” He added.
