By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

A Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, has sentenced 40 persons to a 3-month jail term each for violating the State’s Environmental Law.

The defendants, who were arraigned on different charges ranging from indiscriminate disposal of refuse, encroachment to illegal scavenging, all pleaded guilty to the charges.

Presiding Magistrate Saidu Tunde Abdulkareem sentenced the defendants to a 3-month imprisonment each, with an option of N50,000 fine, in line with the provisions of section 5 subsection 1- 4 of the State Environmental Law.

Thirty-one of the defendants were arrested for indiscriminate disposal of refuse, while nine were apprehended for illegal scavenging.

Speaking on the judgment, the State Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Hon. Nafisat Buge, welcomed the development, saying the motive behind the continuous enforcement of the Environmental Law was to curb the outbreak of diseases, flood disaster and other dangers inherent in indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

The Ministry recently inaugurated a task force to arrest individuals caught breaching environmental standards, particularly improper disposal of waste, encroachment, and illegal scavenging.

“The task force commenced enforcement on Tuesday, and they made some arrests. We have a Mobile Court here in the Ministry that prosecutes them just like what we witnessed today,” she said.

Buge added that the Ministry has since been sensitising the public against such practices.

“Before now, the State House of Assembly had enacted a law that prohibits scavenging in the Ilorin metropolis. Their activities have been restricted to a government designated dump site around the Sokoto Aiyekale expressway”, she said.

“For indiscriminate dumping of refuse, we have gone round for physical engagement. We also embarked on media advocacy to sensitize our people on the need to stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse because of the danger inherent in such a habit.”

The Commissioner urged residents of Ilorin to always use the ‘roro’ bins placed at strategic locations within the metropolis or seek the services of commercial waste collectors, who only charge a token for proper waste management, adding that the exercise would continue for as long as people engage in unlawful dumping of refuse.

“We have done a proper assessment of our drainages, and we realise that the majority of these drainages are blocked as a result of improper dumping of refuse. We are disilting them, but we wouldn’t want such an act to continue. That is why we are determined to have a healthier and cleaner environment in the State,” she added.