The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps, popularly known as KAI, has rescued four nursing mothers and their babies from an illegal dumpsite in the Agboju area of Lagos.

The rescue was carried out on Monday during an ongoing inter-agency cleanup operation along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway corridor.

The Corps Marshal of LAGESC, Major Olaniyi Cole (retd.), disclosed this in a statement posted on the agency’s X handle on Tuesday.

Cole said the cleanup, which had continued for several weeks, was aimed at removing environmental violations and obstructions along the expressway. He said operatives discovered the women living in poor conditions at illegal dumpsites and shanties.

According to him, the women were found living amid refuse, poor air quality and hunger, prompting the agency to rescue them and provide medical assistance.

The rescued women were identified as 23-year-old Fareedat Muyideen from Kwara State and her two-year-old child; 25-year-old Ayomide Ayomoke from Ondo State and her 10-month-old baby; 20-year-old Amanda Oziema Abalihi from Anambra State and her nine-day-old baby; and 24-year-old Chisom Ugo from Imo State and her 11-month-old baby.

Cole said the intervention was necessary to prevent a possible loss of life, particularly after operatives found a newborn in the settlement. He said the women would receive medical attention before being reunited with their families or handed over to relevant welfare authorities.

He appealed to relatives who may be searching for the women to contact the authorities, adding that LAGESC was working with relevant agencies on their rehabilitation and reintegration.

Cole also urged parents and guardians to monitor their children, saying some young people had reportedly left home for the streets because of alleged maltreatment.

He reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s opposition to child abuse and warned that parents or guardians found responsible for neglect or abuse could face prosecution.