The Nasarawa State government has arrested 61 people for alleged violation of the law against open defecation.

Aliyu Agwai, permanent secretary, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, made this known to journalists after the May sanitation exercise on Saturday in Lafia.

He said that 43 persons among those arrested were released after complying with the directive to build toilets in their facilities.

“The remaining 18 who failed to pay N50,000 fine and could not comply to build toilets in their facilities were sentenced to two years and are currently serving jail terms,” Mr Agwai said.

Mr Agwai said the state government has carried out a lot of sensitisation on open defecation, but some people still defecate openly despite the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari signed Executive Order 009 to end open defecation by 2025 in the country.

He also urged the public members to sustain their level of compliance and continue to maintain personal and public hygiene to guard against the outbreak of diseases.

Meanwhile, a mobile court handling environmental-related cases prosecuted 21 persons for alleged violation of environmental sanitation laws in Lafia.

The prosecutor, Abubakar Mohammed, also a chief environment officer, told the court that the suspects were transacting their private businesses while the sanitation exercise was in progress.

Mr Mohammed said that the offences violated Section 9(2) of the State Environmental Sanitation Law.

The judge, Abdullahi Lande, convicted and sentenced them to between six weeks to six months’ imprisonment, each with the option of between N5,000 and N50,000 fine. 

(NAN)