Chinese Nationals Arrested For Operating Illegal E-Waste Factory In Lagos

The police in Lagos have arrested two Chinese nationals for illegally operating an e-waste factory in the residential area of Ikeja, the state capital.

The illegal electronic waste factory which is owned and operated by Lin Piehao, 22 and Li Ruoneng, 27 assembles used electronic panels and packages them for export to China, Vietnam, and Dubai.

Commander in charge of the area, Soji Akinbayo said they were hinted by residents of the community about the illegal activities within the compound.

Employees in the illegal company – majorly youths work on 12-hour daily shift and are exposed to the e-waste which according to research is injurious to human life.

Several cartons of e-waste already packaged and billed to be exported to China and Vietnam through air cargo were recovered by the police.

“When the residents contacted us, we also contacted the Lagos State Environment Protection Agency (LASEPA) and the safety commission of Lagos State.

“We all came here together and discovered they are working on condemned phones panel and the people working with them are not protected (for the toxic waste),” Akinbayo said.

The arrested suspects in an interview told Channels Television that they arrived in Nigeria in January 2019 on a one month visa but they extended their stay to start up the illegal e-waste factory.

The illegal factory has since been sealed.