A Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti has convicted 32 persons for breaching the Ekiti State Environmental Health and Sanitation Laws during the routine environmental sanitation exercise held on Saturday.
Presiding over the proceedings, Magistrate Olubunmi Bamidele ruled that the violators failed to comply with the state’s environmental regulations and noted that their convictions would serve as a warning to deter similar behaviour.
According to the court’s ruling, 21 of the convicted persons were given the option of paying fines, while the remaining offenders were sentenced to community service.
11 persons were discharged after the court reviewed and considered the specifics of their cases.
In a related development, Ayodele Aluko, Director of Environmental Health and Sanitation at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, called on residents to uphold consistent environmental hygiene to reduce the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.
Speaking during Saturday’s sanitation exercise, Aluko encouraged citizens to incorporate regular environmental cleaning into their lifestyle, emphasizing that maintaining cleanliness is essential to good health.