Nasarawa State Government says it has arrested 69 persons for violating environmental sanitation laws of the state.
The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Yakubu Kwanta disclosed this while speaking with journalists on the outcome of the sanitation exercise in Lafia.
The Commissioner said the offenders who were mostly motorists, tricycle and motorcycle operators, were arrested across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state by an enforcement team during the sanitation exercise.
According to him, the affected persons violated the provisions of Section 9 (2) of the State environmental sanitation law by moving around during the exercise.
“We only allowed those with permission from relevant authorities and those on essential services to pass, and move around during the exercise,” he stated.
The commissioner said the state had adopted a new strategy for effective monitoring of the exercise by constituting a special inspecting team who appear as ordinary people to observe the sanitation teams sent to various places to monitor the exercise.
“We have sent a special inspection team to various places to observe the activities of the sanitation teams, and these people will just appear like ordinary people to monitor their activities and bring feedback.
“That is the strategy we have adopted this time around and from all indications, it is working,” he explained.
While warning the inspection team against any form of sabotage, Mr. Kwanta urged members of the public to always keep their environment clean to guard against outbreaks of diseases.
