Harvest of birth defects, sudden deaths as Ogun factories lead poisoning spread

Kindly share this story:

Residents of Ogijo, in the Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State, are facing a worsening health crisis that has become a major threat in the densely populated community. This is a place where children play in streets filled with air carrying a metallic smell that poses severe, long-term risks to their health. IBRAHIM ADAM reports

For years, residents of Ogijo have endured, often in silence, several ailments that include persistent headaches, unexplained stomach pains, stubborn skin irritations, and a bone-deep fatigue that never seems to lift.

To them, there can only be one explanation: the continuous industrial pollution seeping into their community like an invisible plague, creeping through the air they breathe, settling on their soil, and daily poisoning their lives in ways they can feel but can’t see.

Ogijo, which sits on the border between Ogun State and the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, is surrounded by factories that daily emit toxins harmful to life.

Residents say the once-fresh morning air now carries a metallic tang, while fine soot-like particles drift down like a dark mist, coating rooftops, farmlands, cooking pots, and even children’s school uniforms.

Resident speak of waking up each day to find their verandas and furniture layered with dust they fear is toxic.

Yet their complaints drew little attention until recently, when a laboratory test conducted by US-based investigative reporter, Will Fitzgibbon, working with a nonprofit newsroom focused on global public health, The Examination, in collaboration with The New York Times, revealed alarmingly high levels of lead in the blood of many residents.

The findings pointed to a cluster of used lead-acid battery recycling factories operating around the area.

The results have since left the community frightened and outraged.

For 42-year-old resident, Ogunleye Akanmu, the danger stopped being abstract the day his test results arrived, confirming a frighteningly high concentration of lead in his bloodstream.

What broke him even more was learning that his children were also affected.

“I was tested along with my two children. When they told me my blood lead level was seriously high at 21, I was shocked. They also said my son’s level was already affecting his health,” he told Sunday PUNCH, his voice still carrying the weight of disbelief.

To Ogunleye, pollution in Ogijo is not just in the air; it is in the lungs, in the water, in the very future of his family.

“From dawn till dusk, smoke rises from the factories like a permanent shroud,” he said. “It settles on our clothes, our food, even on the beds where we sleep. You can wipe a window in the morning, and your hand turns black instantly. This is not normal. This is not life. We are begging the Ogun State Government to act before we start dying in numbers. Hold these companies accountable.”

His fear is compounded by the burden he carries at home. Since the death of his wife, Ogunleye has been the sole caregiver to his children. Now he faces an even crueller irony: the air that should sustain his family threatens to break it apart.

“Their mother is gone, and I have been their only guardian. What will now become of us? God, why?” he asked, his voice trembling.

Community members identified several factories allegedly at the centre of the pollution crisis: Metal Manufacturing Nigeria Limited, Everest Metal Nigeria Limited, African Non-Ferrous Industry Limited, Vendanta Metal Industries Limited, Hanushi Manufacturing Limited, BPL Limited, GBMT, and BS Factory.

Together, they form a booming recycling hub, but residents say the environmental cost has become unbearable, and each passing day feels like a gamble with their health.

Data don’t lie

In a viral video circulating on X, the investigative reporter Fitzgibbon, with The New York Times, spotlighted a disturbing discovery from a report published on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, titled “How We Linked the Auto Industry to Lead Poisoning.”

According to the investigation, Ogijo hosts more lead-recycling factories than anywhere else in Africa, and the pollution they emit extends far beyond their chimneys.

The report shows footage of factories discharging thick smoke that drifts directly over nearby homes, schools, and markets.

Even more worrying is the revelation that the Ogun State Government has never carried out a comprehensive lead-testing programme in the community, despite years of residents reporting persistent headaches, stomach pain, fatigue, and other symptoms consistent with lead exposure.

“The government has never had a comprehensive lead-testing program here, even as residents complained of headaches, stomach pain, and fatigue — common lead poisoning symptoms. Lead screening is expensive, and Nigeria already struggles to build hospitals and fund programmes like malaria treatment. So we commissioned our own testing,” the report stated.

To conduct the study, researchers partnered with Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev), an organisation with a credible track record and experience working with the Nigerian government.

They organised community events in Ogijo to explain their mission, and 70 residents volunteered for blood testing.

In June, nurses and doctors drew blood samples, singing to calm frightened toddlers and anxious parents.

SRADev also distributed nasal filters to detect lead in the air, acknowledging that while old paint and pipes can be sources of poisoning, the thick industrial emissions in Ogijo warranted closer scrutiny.

Several volunteers who lived far from the factories for comparison were also tested.

Meanwhile, the University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s premier institution, collected and analysed soil samples from farmlands, school playgrounds, and residential compounds.

A representative from the regional health department supervised the exercise. At the end of the study, Lagos health official, Dr Olamide Agunbiade, admitted, “If this study was not done, we would just continue with the status quo.”

Startling results

The findings were mindboggling. The investigation revealed that seven out of ten people tested had blood lead levels considered dangerous by the World Health Organisation, whose safety threshold is five microgrammes per decilitre.

Fitzgibbon noted that more than half of the children tested were already poisoned.

Highlighting one case, he revealed, “Freeman, a young boy in the community, has a blood lead level of 28.5 micrograms per decilitre, more than five times the threshold for poisoning. He suffers body pains, a distended belly, poor sleep, and seizures.”

Soil tests returned equally grim results, showing dangerously high lead levels around farms, children’s play areas, and public spaces.

In contrast, volunteers living farther away from factories had virtually no lead in their blood, confirming that the contamination was localised and severe.

SRADev scientists concluded that the community’s high lead levels were linked directly to environmental and occupational exposure from battery recycling, not from background sources.

When residents received their results in October, doctors advised them to relocate if possible, a suggestion many said they simply could not afford.

As a temporary measure, they were given calcium tablets and vitamins, advised to clean surfaces regularly, and warned to keep children away from factory zones.

Residents cry for help

For many families, the test results confirmed their worst fears.

One resident, Akinpelu Adekunle, described life in Ogijo as “a daily battle for survival.”

“We are living inside poison,” he told Sunday PUNCH. “I beg the Ogun State government, please come to our rescue before our people start dying. These factories are choking us. The doctor told me that I am not safe.”

Describing the extent of contamination around their homes, the obviously distressed resident said, “Our environment looks like a war zone. Rooftops are coated in thick black powder, as if someone is burning tyres beside our house. Even our drinking buckets gather dark dust during the day and overnight. When rain falls, the water that runs off our roofs is as dark as engine oil.”

Yet another resident, Salami Habeeb, said his test results left him emotionally shattered.

“When they came to test us, I didn’t expect anything serious. But the doctor looked at me and said, ‘Your body is carrying over 15 microgrammes per decilitre of poison.’ I cried. I am only 34 years old. How did living in Ogijo turn into a death sentence?”

Salami added that the very air carried visible signs of contamination.

“The air here is so polluted that our curtains turn dark within days. Even the breeze carries a metallic smell, like burnt batteries. Sometimes during the day, you can’t even see ahead because the smoke is so thick. I appeal to Governor Abiodun not to abandon us. We need urgent medical support, environmental cleanup, and strict action on these factories. We are young people fighting for our lives,” he appealed.

A long-time resident, Balogun Animashaun, said watching the transformation of the community over the decades had been heartbreaking.

“I have lived here for over 30 years, and what I see now breaks my heart. Our land, once green and peaceful, is now covered in dark dust. The tests conducted on me and many elders showed extremely high lead levels. I currently have over 20 micrograms per decilitre of poison in my body. Many children cannot sleep well at night,” he told Sunday PUNCH.

He added that the scale of pollution had left residents living in constant fear.

“The smoke rising from these plants is like a shadow that never leaves. It settles on rooftops, farms, and even our drinking water. It feels like death is slowly crawling into every home,” he said.

Workers expose unsafe factory environment

A factory worker, Matthew Okereke, said staff members were fully aware that their health was deteriorating.

“They tested us and confirmed that all of us have lead in our blood. I have over 24 microgrammes per decilitre of the poison. It was the tests that made us realise something like this exists. Some of us have constant chest pain, and some vomit during shifts.

“We used to see it as normal illness. But what choice do we have? This job is the only way we feed our families. If we leave, our children will go hungry,” he told Sunday PUNCH.

Okereke added that the lack of protective equipment made daily tasks hazardous.

“The smoke burns our eyes, the heat from the smelting area is unbearable, and we barely have any protective gear except hand gloves. Sometimes we use pieces of cloth as masks because the company doesn’t provide enough. The government should talk to the management to enforce safety laws. We want to work, but we want to live too. We are not asking for luxury, only for the right to survive,” he said.

Another factory employee, Abiola Akingbile, expressed concern that his job had become a threat to his family’s well-being.

“When they showed me my test result, over 25 microgrammes per deciliter, I became afraid for my wife, children, and family. If anything happens to me, who will care for them? This work is risky, but it is all I have. We have women here who are mothers, yet we inhale toxic smoke every single day,” he told Sunday PUNCH.

Akingbile said the effects of exposure lingered long after leaving the workplace.

“Sometimes when we leave the factory, our clothes are covered in black dust. Our throats burn, and our heads ache constantly. Still, we return because we need the salary. We see the danger, but we don’t have alternatives. The companies should prioritise our health. We deserve proper masks, regular medical tests, and safer working conditions. We want to serve, but not at the cost of our lives,” he said.

“We experience birth deformities, sudden death” – Traditional ruler

The traditional ruler of Ogijo, Oba Kazeem Gbadamosi, lamented that despite years of advocacy and repeated calls for reform, the deadly battery recycling practices continue to threaten his community.

Speaking to Sunday PUNCH, he lamented that countless workshops, community engagements, and direct appeals to factory operators had failed to produce meaningful change.

Oba Gbadamosi painted a grim picture of the community’s deteriorating health, recounting harrowing reports of birth deformities among newborns, relentless bouts of coughing that plague children and adults alike, miscarriages, and a particularly chilling episode in which five workers died suddenly within a single week, an incident he described as a direct consequence of prolonged exposure to toxic fumes and heavy metals.

The monarch’s words carried the weight of lived experience and accumulated fear. He stressed the urgent need for stricter enforcement of environmental safety regulations, noting that without immediate intervention, residents would continue to bear the brunt of industrial negligence.

“We are not asking for luxuries, only the right to breathe clean air, drink safe water, and protect our children from a slow, invisible killer,” he said, his voice a mixture of anger and helplessness.

Lead traced to American companies

The researchers tallied shipping containers stacked outside recycling plants and tracked their digital footprints through international carriers’ websites.

When matched with United States Census trade data and customs records, a striking pattern emerged.

A large share of recycled lead shipped from African ports was landing in the United States, particularly at the Port of Baltimore.

While tracking some shipments proved straightforward, Nigerian exports were more difficult to follow.

Eventually, the researchers traced Nigeria’s lead exports to a battery manufacturer in South Korea, and from there to factories belonging to Tesla and General Motors in California, New York, and Texas.

Further investigations revealed that much of the lead arriving in the U.S. was transported from Baltimore to Pennsylvania. Inspection logs and several crash reports from the US Department of Transportation reinforced these findings, linking multiple trucking firms and global commodities giant Trafigura to East Penn, the operator of the world’s largest single-site lead battery manufacturing facility.

East Penn was found to be using Nigerian lead. When presented with evidence, the company said it would stop purchasing from Nigeria, noting that the material made up less than five per cent of its supply.

East Penn Chairman, Chris Pruitt, told the researchers, “We have learned some things and are making necessary changes. We have the humility to course-correct if something is not right.”

Trafigura spokesman, Neil Hume, said the company complies with all relevant regulations and works with the Nigerian government and independent experts to vet its suppliers.

A 2020 joint report by UNICEF and Pure Earth explains that global lead demand has surged due to the rapid rise in vehicle ownership in low- and middle-income countries.

It notes that lead prices doubled between 2005 and 2019 and that informal recycling has left communities worldwide blanketed in toxic fumes.

“These informal recycling operations are often in backyards, where unprotected workers break open batteries with hand tools and smelt lead plates in open-air pits, releasing lead-laden fumes and particulates,” the report states.

Data from the World Integrated Trade Solution also shows that Nigeria led Africa in recycled lead exports between 2019 and 2023, with the United States importing the largest volume.

Expert explains deadly effects

A medical doctor and health educator, Dr Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as Aproko Doctor, posted a video on X explaining the science behind lead poisoning and its severe health consequences.

“Lead is a very dangerous metal because it acts as a copycat for calcium, which the body needs for bone growth and other vital functions,” he said.

He explained how lead disrupts biological processes, noting, “Lead can resemble calcium in such a way that the body starts absorbing lead instead of calcium. This prevents calcium from performing its role and allows lead to reach the brain, causing seizures in children and affecting learning. In adults, it can cause anaemia and other health issues.”

He also linked residents’ symptoms to the proximity of the factories.

“Factories handling lead should be located far from human settlements. Here, these plants are dangerously close, and people are breathing in the smoke daily. This exposure is causing serious health problems,” he said.

Low lead, big harm for children

The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that lead exposure poses severe and long-term dangers to children, noting that many young victims display no immediate symptoms despite the potentially irreversible harm.

According to the agency, lead can damage the brain and nervous system, slow growth and development, and cause learning, behavioural, hearing, and speech problems.

“The effects include lower IQ, decreased ability to pay attention, and underperformance in school,” the CDC said, adding that childhood exposure can result in complications that persist well into adulthood.

It stressed that children under six are most vulnerable because their bodies are still developing and they are more likely to place contaminated objects in their mouths. “Young children are more likely to be exposed to lead than older children,” the agency noted.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry also raised concerns, emphasising that no amount of lead in a child’s blood is considered safe. It explained that children’s rapidly developing nervous systems make them especially susceptible to harm.

“Some children may unknowingly play in lead dust or swallow chips of paint, which increases their risk of high lead levels in their blood,” the academy stated.

Even low levels of exposure, it warned, can alter behaviour.

“Children may appear inattentive, hyperactive, and irritable,” it said, while higher levels could result in more serious consequences, including learning difficulties, delayed growth, and hearing loss.

At extreme levels, “lead can cause permanent brain damage and even death,” the academy warned.

Risks to pregnant women

A UK-based specialist midwife, Raphael Anusa, told Sunday PUNCH that lead exposure in Nigeria poses serious risks to unborn babies.

He warned that pregnant women with elevated lead levels face increased risks of impaired foetal growth, miscarriage, prematurity, permanent brain damage, and neurological defects.

“Because lead can cross the placenta barrier, growing foetuses are not spared the potential dangers of lead poisoning. This has major implications for the developmental process in babies,” he said.

Anusa added that pregnant women with high blood lead levels also face increased risks of developing hypertensive disorders.

“This is unavoidably associated with preeclampsia, which is a high-risk condition in pregnancy,” he said.

The specialist described lead poisoning as a significant public health concern affecting both adults and children in Nigeria, with common sources including contaminated drinking water, polluted soil, and household dust. Symptoms, he noted, can be subtle, including weakness, fatigue, headaches, irritability, and poor concentration. He stressed the need for stronger public awareness and regulatory oversight.

Toxic metal remains global health threat

The World Health Organisation has also warned that toxic metals, particularly lead, continue to endanger populations worldwide.

It describes lead as a naturally occurring but harmful metal whose widespread use has resulted in persistent environmental contamination and human exposure.

According to the WHO, major sources of lead include mining, smelting, manufacturing, and recycling activities, as well as its continued presence in consumer and industrial products.

“Most global lead consumption is for the manufacture of lead-acid batteries for motor vehicles,” the global health body noted.

Lead is also used in pigments, paints, solder, stained glass, ceramic glazes, jewellery, toys, some traditional cosmetics, and certain traditional medicines.

It can also contaminate drinking water through plumbing systems that contain lead pipes and fittings.

Identifying lead as one of the ten chemicals of major public health concern, the WHO urged governments worldwide to strengthen protective measures for vulnerable populations. “Action is urgently required to safeguard the health of workers, children, and women of reproductive age,” the agency said.

Factories to remain sealed

The Ogun State Government has insisted that all sealed lead-recycling factories will remain shut until a comprehensive health and environmental impact audit is conducted.

This follows the earlier closure of seven industries and the immediate suspension of lead ingot exportation pending further investigation.

Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday, attended by regulators, academics, industry representatives, and government officials.

He announced plans for a broader health assessment involving 300 to 500 residents, explaining that the initial sample, just 20 people, was insufficient for a community of more than 11,000 residents.

“A larger sample will better reflect the reality,” he said.

Oresanya added that a joint team from the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency will oversee process audits for all affected factories.

Experts from Olabisi Onabanjo University, the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and the University of Lagos have volunteered to join the environmental audit team.

They plan to collect water, air, soil, and vegetation samples across Ogijo and neighbouring areas.

“There is no cause for panic,” Oresanya said. “The state will immediately commence a comprehensive Health and Process Audit of the affected facilities, including testing for lead levels in humans, soil, air, and water.”

Kindly share this story:

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

UPDATE NEWS: Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25Million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, 👉 click here to find out how it work (Be sure to ask for evidence of clients that have benefitted from this)

Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The Punch Newspaper on WhatsApp for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content. Don't miss a headline – join now!

Stay in the know—fast. Get instant alerts, breaking headlines, and exclusive stories with the Punch News App. Download now and never miss a beat.