A mobile magistrate’s court in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has sentenced 10 persons involved in indiscriminate dumping of refuse to two months imprisonment each.
The prosecutor, Mrs Bolaji Ogunsan, told the court that “the offenders were caught in the act at Ajilosun and Nigerian Television Area road areas in the state capital.
In the judgment, the magistrate, Timothy Abe, said, “The culprits were found culpable of the offence under Section 7b and Section 12, Subsection 4 of Ekiti State Environmental Health and Sanitation Law of 2020”.
Abe consequently sentenced the 10 defendants to two months imprisonment with option of fine of N5,000 each.
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The court, however, granted the plea for leniency by one of the offenders, who could not afford the fine, and in turn made to observe community service.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mrs Iyabo Fakunle-Okieimen, who frowned at the attitude of the offenders, warned Ekiti residents against violating environmental laws and always keep their environment clean and safe from diseases.
Fakunle-Okieimen stressed the commitment of the Dr Kayode Fayemi administration to provision of healthy and conducive environment for Ekiti people to guard against the outbreak of epidemics.
She said, “The Task Force will continue to move round to enforce environmental laws. Whoever is caught will be prosecuted according to environmental extant law.”
