No fewer than 106 residents have been arrested by the sanitation enforcement teams of the Nasarawa State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
NIGERIACRIME learnt that the teams arrested the residents for allegedly violating the environmental sanitation laws across its 13 local government areas.
This was made known by the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Yakubu Kwanta, at a press briefing on Saturday in Akwanga LGA immediately after the September sanitation exercise in the state.
He narrated that 31 persons were arrested in Akwanga, 21 in Lafia, 29 in Karu, 4 in Nassarawa-Eggon, 6 in Awe, 5 in Kokona, 7 in Keffi and 3 in Obi LGAs respectively.
The commissioner said the offenders who were arrested for transacting their private businesses while the sanitation exercise was in progress, violated the provisions of section 9 (2) of the State Environmental Sanitation Law.
He explained that the offenders were prosecuted by mobile courts at their respective LGAs to serve as a deterrent to others.
Kwanta, however, expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance by the residents of the state, adding that many shops and business environments were temporarily closed during the period of the exercise.
“We only allowed those with permission from relevant authorities and those on essential services to pass, and move around during the exercise.
“The ministry is going to collaborate with traditional rulers and chairmen of LGAs to strengthen enforcement in subsequent exercises,” he said.
While calling on members of the public to always keep their environments clean to guard against outbreaks of diseases, Kwanta said the ministry had issued notices to residents of the state to clear drainages around their houses and business premises to avert flooding.
Meanwhile, over 60 houses and belongings worth millions of naira have been destroyed in Nasarawa State following heavy flooding in two Local Government Areas of the state.
The Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Zachary Allumaga, disclosed this while speaking to newsmen in Lafia on Saturday.
He explained that flood incidents in two LGAs of Lafia and Toto in August 2023, left several residents homeless while valuables belonging to the affected victims were destroyed.
According to the DG, the flood incident in Lafia affected the student’s residential area (Off-campus) at the Federal University of Lafia and destroyed properties such as computers, mattresses, books, food items and other valuables.