Thirsty six (36) persons were on Saturday convicted by a sanitation mobile court in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, for failing to observe the monthly sanitation exercise in the area.
The convicts including commercial motorcyclists and petty traders, were arrested by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) engaged for the exercise between 7a.m and 10 a.m.
They were arraigned at the mobile court on a two-count charge of unlawful roaming and failure to partake in the sanitation exercise.
Each of the convicts received one year imprisonment from the presiding Judge, Abolade Banigbe of the Omu-Aran Area Court.
They were, however, given an option of N2, 000 fines for them to regain their freedom.
Abolade, in his ruling, reminded the convicts that it is part of their civic responsibility to fully partake in the sanitation exercise, saying defaulters will face the wrath of the law.
“This has been clearly spelt out in the state constitution and the local governments’ bye laws as part of the measures to ensure a safe and clean environment,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that two filling stations were also sealed in Oro and Ajase axis of the council for dispensing their products to buyers during the sanitation period.
The affected stations are J.S. filling in Oro and Total filling station in Ajase-Ipo.
NAN reports that the order for the sealing was handed down by a sanitation monitoring team led by the State Commissioner for Environment, Otunba Taiwo Joseph and the Irepodun Local Government chairman, Comrade Kazeem Adekanye.
Joseph said the re-introduction of the sanitation exercise was to ensure a clean and healthy environment, devoid of diseases.
Adekanye, on his part, expressed delight at the success of the exercise as well as the cooperation of the council’s environmental personnel and various security agencies.
He charged the environmental officers to ensure continuous execution of the house to house routine environmental checks in the area so as to consolidate on the gains of the monthly exercise.
Mrs Mary Afolayan, the Head of Health Department in the council, solicited for more personnel, fund, refuse disposal vehicles to assist in the discharge of their duties. (NAN)
ISHO/AFA