5 Arrested Over Environmental Offences

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Five persons have been arrested and charged before the Agege Grade ‘A’ Customary Court, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria over environmental offences.

The accused are Oluyemi Sadare, Iyabo Adetoro, Gladys Akinmade, Rashidat Azeez and Wasiu Suleiman.

The charge against them reads: “That you, the above-named persons under the jurisdiction of Agege local government on 17 August, 2011 created a setback on the road and turned the frontage of a house into a market thereby contravening Sections 1 and 2 of the environmental sanitation by-law, an offence punishable under Section 16 of the Lagos State by-law 2003.”

The accused were arrested by officials of the state environmental task force at Alade market.

The prosecuting official, Mr. Kayode Oshodi, an environmental officer from Agege local council alleged that the accused were buying and selling in front of a house and also paying rent to the landlord’s daughter, Mrs. Iyabo Falola at the rate of N400 every three months for the open space.

“The community development association and the market board have written memos to the effect that they posed a threat to them but they refused to go,” he stated.

Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello had during visits to various parts of the state declared zero tolerance for environmental nuisance.

The matter was adjourned till 7 September by the court’s president, Mr. Emmanuel Shokunle, to allow Iyabo, who was alleged to be collecting rents from the traders, bring members of her family to say all they knew about trading in the area.

 

—Ibrahim Bakare

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