A Magistrate Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has convicted 32 individuals for violating the Ekiti State Environmental Health and Sanitation Laws during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise held last Saturday.
Presiding Magistrate Olubunmi Bamidele found the offenders guilty of failing to comply with the sanitation regulations and emphasized that the convictions should serve as a deterrent to others.
Of the 32 convicted, 21 were given the option of paying fines, while the others were sentenced to community service. Eleven additional individuals were pardoned after consideration of their cases.
Speaking during the exercise, the Director of Environmental Health and Sanitation, Ayodele Aluko, urged residents to make environmental cleanliness a routine habit, warning that poor hygiene contributes to the spread of communicable diseases.
He noted that the Ministry, under the leadership of Commissioner Tosin Aluko-Ajisafe, is fully committed to enforcing the sanitation laws.
Aluko also highlighted the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s efforts in allocating substantial resources toward building a safer and healthier environment in the state.
Recall that during the previous environmental sanitation exercise on May 31, in Ado-Ekiti, no fewer than 30 offenders were arrested and arraigned before a magistrate’s court.
They were sentenced to one month of community service with an option of a fine.
At the time, Commissioner Aluko-Ajisafe warned religious institutions against shielding violators during the sanitation period, especially those located in markets and commercial areas.
She reiterated that maintaining a clean environment is a shared responsibility and urged all residents to cooperate with the government’s efforts to promote public health and environmental hygiene.