By Segun Giwa
No fewer than 39 poeple were arrested on Saturday in Akure for violating environmental laws, according to Ondo State Waste Management Authority (ODSWMA).
The General Manager of ODSWMA, Mrs Ayo Adeyemo, gave the figure at the end of the April edition of the monthly environmental sanitation in the state.
Adeyemo said that each of the alleged offenders was given appropriate fines based on the nature of the offence.
According to her, the suspects were arrested at different locations within Akure metropolis.
She said that the exercise was also monitored by the state Commissioner for Environment, Mr Sunday Akinwalere.
The general manager appealed to Ondo State residents to make environmental sanitation a daily affair to prevent diseases.
She said, “Anybody who violates environmental laws will be appropriately sanctioned.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the areas monitored include Oyemekun Road, Oja Oba (Adedeji Market), Adegbola and Ilesha Motor Park.
At Ilesha Motor Park, Adeyemo encouraged the leadership of the motor park to get approved waste bins at all times and avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
She advised traders to make cleanliness their watchword and desist from unhealthy practices.
“This period is very sensitive because it is rainy season.
“People should not be encouraged to dispose refuse indiscriminately or litter the environment.
“We should not dump our waste into drains. Drains are meant for free flow of water,” Adeyemo said. (NAN)