The Lagos State Police Command has arrested five persons for impersonating officials of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO) with the intent to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

Speaking on the development, the Executive Secretary of LASWARCO, Mrs. Funke Adepoju, explained that the suspects were nabbed by some water producers in Ikotun-Igando and promptly handed over to the police.

According to her, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects paraded themselves as LASWARCO officials, while using the Commission’s name to defraud some members of the public in the Ipaja and Ayobo axis of Alimosho.

Mrs. Adepoju, therefore, urged members of the public to be wary of criminal elements impersonating officials of the Commission to perpetrate fraud.

She said the major focus of the Commission, in line with its regulatory mandate, is to ensure that operators in the water abstraction, production and distribution industry comply with best manufacturing procedures to safeguard the health of the people, while also ensuring the viability of the sector.

The Executive Secretary averred that LASWARCO, in conjunction with Task Force of Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP) and Water Producers Association of Nigeria (WAPAN), is enforcing compliance with regulatory provisions across the State, adding that on no account should the people go into any transaction with impersonators.

Adepoju said the suspects would be prosecuted in line with the law, just as she assured that the full weight of the law would be applied to anyone found indulging in such a criminal act, going forward.

She also said enquiries or clarifications on any water-related issue, should be directed to the Commission’s office at Block 19 (3rd Floor), Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

In a related development, Adepoju said, in the light of revelations by Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Command of the Nigeria Customs Service impounding a forty-foot container with expired water from Poland, it has become expedient to alert residents to be cautious of the bottled water they consume.

Her words: “We are reviewing the situation. We have deployed our officers to the nooks and crannies to be sure the said expired water from Poland is not in circulation in the State”.

“However, it is necessary to alert residents and urge them not to buy any water that is not certified by the Commission. If members of the public have information regarding the circulation of the said imported water, they should notify LASWARCO without delay for necessary action to safeguard the health of residents,” Adepoju said.