Nasarawa arrests 103 Offenders for Violating Sanitation Laws

The Nasarawa State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources have arrested 103 persons for allegedly violating environmental sanitation laws.

Chief Prosecuting Officer, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed, stated this after the August sanitation exercise in Lafia, the north central capital of Nasarawa state.

He said that the offenders were arrested by their men across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state for transacting their private businesses while the sanitation exercise was in progress.

Mohammed said that the offenses violated the provisions of Section 9 (2) of the State Environmental Sanitation Law.

He explained that the offenders were prosecuted by various mobile courts across the state to serve as a deterrent to others.

The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources Hon. Quanta Yakubu expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance.

The Commissioner said that about 90 percent of the residents complied by locking their shops and business to clean their surroundings during the exercise.

Yakubu lauded the traditional rulers, Chairmen of Area Councils as well as the security agencies for the success of the exercise.

He said the state was shut down during the exercise in line with the law, except for those on essential services.

“We only allowed those with permission from relevant authorities and those on essential services to pass, and move around during the exercise,” he said.

He noted that they have strengthened the capacity of the inspectors, and deployed them to rural areas for house-to-house inspection to enhance efficiency.

He called on members of the public to always keep their environment clean to guard against the outbreak of diseases.

“Residents should cooperate more with the government towards ensuring that the state is clean in their best interest.

“If the environment is kept clean, it will guard against the possible outbreak of any disease, thereby ensuring improved healthy living of the people,” he added.

The commissioner said that the ministry had issued notices to residents to clear the drainages around their houses and business premises to avert flooding.

Emmanuel Ukoh