As the compulsory monthly Environmental Sanitation exercise held across Delta state, the Chief Magistrate of Warri, E.V. Tunde Smooth (Mrs), has prosecuted over thirty defaulters for disobeying the Environmental Sanitation Law.
The Mobile Court was set up on Saturday October 30th 2021, at Estate Roundabout, near Okere market in Warri south local government area of the state, in order to immediately try and prosecute residents who defaulted during the environmental sanitation working hours between 7:00am-10:00am.
Briefing the presiding judge, the Prosecutor, Mrs. Obire Rachael, who is a Principal Environmental Health Superintendent attached to the Delta State Taskforce on Environmental, stated that the persons arrested where seen wandering in the street during the environment sanitation hour.
“They where suppose to be at home cleaning their surroundings within 7:am-10:am to observe the Delta state government compulsory monthly environmental sanitation order but they disobeyed,” she added.
In her reaction, the presiding Judge at the Mobile Court, E.V. Tunde Smooth (Mrs.), interrogated the various defaulters brought before her to know the reasons they where seen wandering around the street during the environmental sanitation hour.
Many of them pretended to be ignorant of the exercise. Some pleaded guilty while others gave excuses of going to the hospital because of ill health.
At the end of proper interrogation, the Chief Magistrate Warri, with her prerogative power cautioned and set free those who pleaded guilty, having asked them to clean up the Estate Roundabout premises as well as nearby drainage as punishment.
She further issued a fine to some defaulters who claimed not guilty to pay having found them liable.
Meanwhile, the team of the State Taskforce on Environment led by Hon. Sylvester Oromoni, where fully on ground to strictly monitor the exercise from 7am-10am.
However, in this month’s exercise, there was a massive turn out by residents in Warrri, Uvwie and Udu area to observe the mandatory monthly Environmental Sanitation exercise.
Moreover, some motorists, such as Keke drivers, private commuters plying the routes where forced to park their vehicles and join the state taskforce team to observe the mandatory environmental sanitation exercise before they where asked to go at the expiration of the working time frame.
