The Nasarawa State Government has vowed to punish violators of its sanitation laws.
Musa Ibrahim, the state’s Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources made this known in Lafia, the state capital, while monitoring the monthly sanitation exercise.
The commissioner, who was represented by Rilwanu Ciroma, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said that stringent measures would be taken against defaulters in subsequent exercise.
He said that the enforcement team would be reinforced with more security personnel during exercise to ensure total compliance.
Ibrahim explained that the decision to strengthen the enforcement team was necessitated by the failure to observe the exercise in some markets and motor parks in the state.
He pointed out that “cleanliness is next to godliness”, hence government’s determination to ensure that residents maintained high environmental hygiene.
He disclosed that more than 100 persons were prosecuted by the mobile court for violating environmental sanitation laws during the exercise.
Meanwhile, Abubakar Mohammed, Chief Environments Officer and a Prosecutor said that the offenders were arrested during sanitation hours doing their respective businesses.
The prosecutor told the court that their actions violated section 9 (2) of the state environmental sanitation laws.
He, therefore, urged the court to sanction them accordingly to serve as deterrent to others in future.
Shittu Umar, the Judge, after listening to the submission by the Prosecutor, convicted and sentenced the offenders to prison term of between two and four months with options of fine.
By Sunday John
