Over 2000 offenders facing Sanitation prosecution in Nasarawa

By David Odama, Lafia

Abdullahi Sule

Over two thousand persons arrested at the weekend for violation of environmental Sanitation laws across the thirteen local government areas of Nasarawa State are facing prosecution for various offences.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Usman Abu this Sunday at a news briefing to highlight the activities of the ministry in this month environmental sanitation in Lafia, the state capital.

It would be recalled that Many motorists coming from Abuja, Plateau and Benue axis through the State were made to wait until the three-hour exercise elapsed during the exercise on Saturday.

The conduct of monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Nasarawa State was reintroduced in August this year by Governor Abdullahi Sule as part of efforts towards keeping the environment clean and prevent cases of flooding in the state.

Leading a delegation of officials from the state Ministry of Environment, house of assembly and security personnel during the excise, the Permanent Secretary, Usman Abu expressed concern over the level of non-compliance with the monthly environmental sanitation by residents.

Abu who explained that a mobile court has been set up to prosecute the offenders also warned that the state government would not renege in its deter nation at ensuring that directives were obeyed and complied with especially the monthly Sanitations exercise.

Chairman, House Committee on Housing, Environment and Natural Resources, Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Luka Zhekaba called for stiffer penalty for offenders of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.

In an interview earlier, some of the offenders, Ugbem Monday and Ugo Kingsley called for more campaigns on the exercise.

Most of the offenders arrested and found wanting were petty traders, commercial motorcycle owners who are expected to pay between two and twelve thousand Naira fine.