A man, Yusuf Ladan Bara, was yesterday sentenced to three months in prison by the mobile court of the Bauchi State Environmental Sanitation Agency (BASEPA) for violating the state sanitation law.
Bara, a resident of Kobi street in Bauchi metropolis, was arrested by BASEPA’s inspection and monitoring team and summarily tried by the agency’s mobile court for dumping horse dung in one of the major drainages on Kobi street.
This was revealed by the Special Adviser on Media to the Agency’s Director-General, Isyaka Laminu Badamasi, in a press release made available to DAILY POST on Thursday in Bauchi.
According to the release, the convict was arrested during the routine inspection of the ongoing desilting and evacuation exercise carried out by the environmental agency to contain flooding in the state capital in the event of heavy rainfall.
Badamasi stated that the action of the convict contravened Section 33 (4), (6), (7), (8), (9) and (10) of the Bauchi State Environmental Protection and Conservation Agency Law, 2017.
He added that the offence is punishable under Section 34 (1) and (2) of the Law.
The release stated that the convict appeared before the agency’s mobile court presided by Justice Laraba Hamisu and was found guilty of the offence.
The court then sentenced the convict to six calendar months and ordered that he serve his term at the Bauchi Correctional Centre in Bauchi.
The release, however, informed that the convict was given an option of fine of N50,000.
In addition, the court also mandated him to evacuate the garbage he dumped in the drainage to BASEPA’s satisfaction.
“The culprit Yusuf Ladan Bara asked for leniency and the judge reduced the fine to N25,000 and three calendar months instead of the earlier N50,000 and six calendar months imprisonment,” the release informed.
It added that the judgment was to serve as a deterrent to him and other people who have the same attitude.
The release lamented that “For over ten days, BASEPA is busy desilting the drainages in the state capital to allow free flow of water but unfortunately some people are busy dumping their refuse into the same desilted drainages.”
This, according to Badamasi, is considered by BASEPA as sabotage to the efforts of the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed aimed at keeping the state clean.
“The Director-General of the Agency, Dr Ibrahim Kabir (MNES) wishes to inform the general public that drainages are not meant for the dumping of refuse and anyone found guilty of such will be sentenced accordingly,” the release added.
Members of the public were urged to report any suspicious acts capable of blocking drainages or any other environmental nuisance to the agency.
