A Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin on Friday sentenced 40 persons to a three-month jail term each for violation of the Kwara State Environmental Law.
The defendants, all residents of Ilorin, who were arraigned on different charges ranging from indiscriminate disposal of refuse, encroachment, and illegal scavenging, pleaded guilty to the offences.
Presiding Magistrate Saidu Tunde Abdulkareem sentenced the defendants to three months imprisonment each, with an option of a 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, the court heard.
Speaking on the judgement, the Kwara State Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Nafisat Buge, who welcomed the development, said the motive behind the continuous enforcement of the environmental law is to curb the outbreak of diseases, flood disasters and other dangers inherent in the indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
The ministry recently inaugurated a 300-man task force to arrest individuals caught breaching environmental standards, particularly improper disposal of waste, encroachment, and illegal scavenging