Caught in the act of dumping refuse on medians and other unauthorized places, a magistrate sitting in Ibadan, on Monday, slammed 16 residents of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, with a fine of N12,500, with an option of televised community service punishment for 24 hours.
At the Magistrate Patricia Adetuyibi led tribunal held at the Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, the 16 persons were arraigned on a two-count charge of illegal dumping of refuse in unauthorised place and failure to register with an accredited private refuse contractor.
In her ruling, Adetuyubi slammed an N10,000 fine on the offenders for the first offence and N2,500 for the second offence of nonregistration with the accredited waste contractor.
As part of release terms, Adetuyibi also mandated the offenders to be registered with accredited waste contractors.
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The 16 offenders to include Mustapha Romoke, Fatai Jibola, Bamigboye Olaide, Aliu Adisa, Jamiu Ibrahim, Akinusi Abiola and Akinusi Bukola, were arraigned in line with provisions of the Environment Sanitation and Waste Control Regulations (Fine Sanctions) Public Health Law of Oyo State, Cap 104 of 1978.
In their plea before the court, the offenders had fingered their landlords for failure to provide bins, adding that the landlords asked them to dispose of their waste on medians.
Some of the offenders also pleaded to be unaware of the state laws against waste disposal on medians.
Prosecution officer for the state Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mrs Bukola Areo said the enforcement of environmental rules had been preceded by sensitisation across media platforms and meetings with landlords’ associations.
While calling on residents to adopt a positive attitude to waste disposal and register with accredited refuse contractors, Areo said the state government had mapped out strategies to consistently move against people dumping refuse on medians and other unauthorized places.
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