EXCLUSIVE: OYO ENVIRONMENTAL WORKERS ALLEGEDLY GIVEN MONTHLY ARREST QUOTAS, THREATENED WITH DISMISSAL FOR MISSING TARGETS

Ad-hoc environmental enforcement workers under the Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources have alleged that they are being given mandatory monthly arrest quotas and threatened with removal from their jobs if they fail to meet the targets.

The workers, operating under the Environmental Vanguard, also alleged that they have been directed to arrest environmental offenders without adequate security personnel or government vehicles, leaving them vulnerable to attacks and injuries while carrying out their duties.

One of the workers who spoke about the situation alleged that many members of the workforce had been engaged by the ministry since 2017 and that two separate approvals by Governor Seyi Makinde to regularise their employment had not been implemented.

According to the worker, about 400 people were initially involved in the programme, although fewer than 200 were assigned to field enforcement operations, including the arrest of people accused of violating environmental regulations.

The worker said the enforcement officers had been conducting arrests since 2019, when security personnel and government vehicles were reportedly provided to support their operations.

However, the situation allegedly changed under the current Commissioner for Environment, Ademola Aderinto, with workers claiming they were subsequently instructed to carry out arrests without security escorts or official vehicles.

The workers alleged that they now sometimes use commercial motorcycles and tricycles to transport people they apprehend during enforcement operations.

One worker also claimed that some enforcement officers do not have official means of identification despite being instructed to arrest alleged environmental offenders.

The workers further alleged that failure to meet the monthly arrest targets could result in their removal from the programme and the withholding of payment for the period they had worked.

According to one of the workers, the quota system is based not simply on the number of people arrested but on the number of arrested offenders who are able to pay the fines imposed on them.

The worker gave an example in which officers could arrest 10 alleged environmental offenders but receive credit for only five if only five of those arrested were able to pay the applicable fines.

Under the alleged system, the worker claimed, the remaining offenders who could not pay would not count towards the officers’ monthly target, despite the time, transportation costs and risks involved in making the arrests.

Another worker explained that the targets were calculated as percentages based on the number of paying offenders arrested by a team.

The worker alleged that an earlier monthly target of 25 per cent was later changed to 100 per cent, meaning enforcement teams were allegedly expected to record paying offenders equivalent to the full number assigned to their routes.

The workers also alleged that some officers had suffered injuries while attempting to enforce environmental regulations but claimed that adequate protection and support had not been provided by the ministry.

They said the absence of security personnel and official transportation had increased the risks involved in apprehending alleged environmental offenders, particularly because some members of the public resist arrest.

The allegations also included claims that only a portion of the Environmental Vanguard workforce is actively involved in field enforcement, while some other workers allegedly perform office-based duties or appear mainly during official programmes.

The workers said the disparity had created resentment among those carrying out field operations, particularly because they claimed to face physical risks while being held responsible for meeting arrest targets.

The allegations come amid the Oyo State Government’s broader environmental enforcement campaign. In February 2026, the state Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources announced the arrest and prosecution of 19 alleged illegal scavengers in Ibadan as part of intensified enforcement operations.

Earlier government records have also shown that environmental enforcement in Oyo involves arrests, fines and prosecutions of people accused of violating state environmental regulations. The state government previously reported that more than 4,000 environmental offenders had been arrested during an earlier period and that over N30 million had been paid in fines.

However, the Environmental Vanguard workers alleged that the pressure to meet arrest and payment-related targets has created difficult working conditions and placed field officers under additional pressure.

Street News Reporters reports that the workers are calling for the authorities to review the alleged quota system, improve security arrangements, provide official transportation and address their claims concerning employment regularisation and job security.

The allegations were put to the new Permanent Secretary of the Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Sunday Akinwale Moradeyo, as well as the Personal Assistant to Commissioner Ademola Aderinto. Neither had responded to the allegations at the time the report was filed.

The claims made by the workers remain allegations and have not been independently established. Any investigation into the matter would need to determine whether arrest quotas exist, how enforcement targets are calculated and whether workers are being removed or denied payment for failing to meet such targets.