At least, 50 defaulters of the last Saturday's Sanitation exercise by the Ebonyi State government have been sentenced to different jail terms.
They were sentenced to jail terms, ranging from one month to six months, with an option of fines between N5,000 and N50,000.
Our correspondent gathered that 50 persons were arrested for flouting the sanitation law during the sanitation cleaning up exercise held on Saturday in the state.
The suspects were arrested in different parts of the state, majorly the Abakaliki metropolitan area.
They were said to have contravened the restriction order on human and vehicular movement during the exercise.
The suspects were arraigned before the Ebonyi State Sanitation Court sitting in Abakaliki and presided over by Mr Ifedi Nwangbo for the offence, shortly after the exercise.
The defaulters' offences included loitering, travelling and engaging in recreational activities, amongst others, at the time of the sanitation exercise in the state.
Addressing journalists after the monitoring of the exercise, the State Commissioner for Environment, Grants and Donor Agencies, Dr Richard Nnabu said the government was contemplating the possibility of sustaining the monthly sanitation exercise in Ebonyi due to its success.
He said that the exercise recorded 99 per cent compliance by the residents, stressing that the people showed that they appreciated the importance of keeping their environment clean.
“The exercise was conceived to usher in the nation’s independence anniversary celebration in the state and it was successful.
“Leveraging the success, the ministry will consider the possibility of sustaining the monthly programme as it was in the past," the Commissioner said.
Dr Nnabu attributed the success to the huge awareness created for the exercise through the media and other channels.
“Residents should also be commended for their compliance and identifying always with good policies. We urge them to sustain the trend,” Nnabu said while
assuring that the government would continue to implement the policies to enhance their well-being in the state.
