
Three transport units of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Lafia Mass Transport in different locations in Lafia, have been arrested, prosecuted and fined for flaunting Section 9, subsection 2 of the state environmental law.
The officials of the transport companies will be jailed for three months in prison if they cannot pay the fine.
The Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources, Musa Ibrahim, disclosed this to journalists on Saturday after the monthly Nasarawa state environmental sanitation which comes up every last Saturday of the month.
According to him, the uniqueness of this month sanitation was that it coincided with the commemoration of this year’s World Environmental Day, which is slated for every June 5.
Ibrahim added that, unlike in the past where justice was tempered with mercy, the three motor parks will face the full wrath of the law for violating the law of the state government.
“The three motor parks will pay fine or the officials will be remanded for 6 months to serve as deterrents to others.
“We are not doing anything outside the law. The operation of the sanitation team is guided by the law and has legislative backing. This is why the sanitation enforcement team is very strict, with a mobile court to prosecute and fined defaulters,” the commissioner added.
Addressing the court, the Prosecutor, Abubakar Mohammed, said that officials of the branch of the Union of Mass Transit and those of the illegal park were operating during the period stipulated for the observance of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in the state.
Muhammed said that the offences violated Section 9(2), of the state Environmental Sanitation Laws, and urged the court to sanction the offenders accordingly, to serve as deterrent to others
After listening to the submission of the prosecutor, the Judge, Shittu Umar, convicted Hashimu Jada, Financial Secretary of the mass transit motor park and Maji Musa, leader of the operators of the illegal motor park.
The court sentenced them to six months in prison with option of fines of N20, 000 and N50, 000 respectively.
The court also prosecuted 27 other violators to various jail terms with option of fines
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