Olusosun Dumpsite Fire: Three Students Collapse, Residents Choke On Air Pollution In Lagos

The fire incidence which occurred at Olusosun waste dump site in Lagos yesterday, has stirred panic among the citizenry of the metropolis.

According to reports the thick dark smoke which enveloped the area has reportedly affected pupils of Ikosi High School, Ketu, with three of the pupils collapsing during school hours on Thursday, March 15, 2018.

The environmental pollution caused by the fire on the dump site, has forced many residents and business owners to run for safety.


A student from the nearby secondary school revelead that school authorities and teachers had asked pupils to go home as a result of the danger the smoke posed to their health.

Confirming the development, a handful other pupils in a report by Punch ssaid their colleagues’ health situation really left everyone panicking.

“Apart from IHS, other schools where pupils were released to go home on Thursday and Friday as a result of the heavy smoke include Ikosi Junior High School, Ikosi Primary School and Express Nursery and Primary School 1 and 2.

A teacher in one of the schools, who asked not to be named, said academic activities have been seriously affected as a result of the situation.

He declined to confirm if indeed the three pupils collapsed or not, saying he had no power to speak on the matter.” Punch reports

Meanwhile the Lagos state government have reportedly swung into action to curb the increasing smoke and calm the panic state in the community.

Thick black smoke could be seen far from the site, located near the old Lagos Toll Gate. The unusual fire triggered a heavy traffic jam in the area, according to witnesses.

Adesina Tiamiyu, the general manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, March 14, that the cause of the fire outbreak was yet to be ascertained.

The Lagos metropolis has been battling the rise of environmental waste littering the states since the change in the state’s environmental policies.

Following the implementation of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority was upgraded enacting the environmental laws and policy in Lagos State. The Agency has now been empowered to regulate the environmental sector in the state.

The Cleaner Lagos Initiative, which is run by Visionscape has been at the centre of turbulent storm in the Lagos metropolis.