Borno to prosecute residents for open defecation, illegal refuse dumpings
By Tada Jutha Maiduguri
The Borno State Government will prosecute residents for open defecation and the illegal dumping of refuse in the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere local council area.
The four offending communities include Zajjeri, Bolori Ward II, Baga Fish Market, and Old Maiduguri, located north of the metropolis.
The prosecution of environmental defaulters was announced on Tuesday, in Maiduguri, by Dr. Juliana Bitrus, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, while engaging the targeted communities on environmental sensitization and enforcement exercises in Maiduguri and Jere local councils.
She said, “The illegal dumping of refuse and open defecation pose public health risks and environmental degradation in the state,” stating that the drainage facilities should not be used for the illegal dumping of household wastes and other refuse.
The General Manager of the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA), Abubakar Suleiman, said, “The environmental sanitation team engaged residents of the affected communities by encouraging them to take responsibility for their surroundings and comply with environmental regulations.
He warned them that defaulters of open defecation and refuse dumpings will be prosecuted in the court of law.
Retreating from the prosecution of environmental defaulters, the commissioner added that the state government would no longer tolerate the indiscriminate dumping of refuse, warning, “Violators of a clean environment will face the full wrath of the law.”
Juliana, therefore, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to sustaining the monthly sanitation exercises.
“The Ministries of Environment, Justice, and BOSEPA will ensure strict compliance through regular monitoring and enforcement not only in Maiduguri and Jere but across the 25 local councils of the state,” said the commissioner.
Suleiman also called for collaborative action by supporting the state government’s efforts with the monthly sanitation activities to always keep the environment clean against the various diseases, including cholera and polio among children.
