Nasarawa Arrests 42 Residents for Living Without Toilets, 88 Others for Violating Sanitation Order

The Nasarawa State Government has arrested 42 residents for living in houses without toilet facilities as it intensified enforcement of environmental sanitation laws aimed at ending open defecation and improving public health across the state.

The arrests were made during the state's June monthly environmental sanitation exercise conducted on Saturday across the 13 local government areas.

Speaking after the exercise, the Chief Prosecution Officer of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Abubakar Mohammed, said the operation was carried out jointly by officials of the ministry and security agencies.

He disclosed that 88 additional residents were also arrested for engaging in commercial activities during the sanitation exercise in violation of the state's environmental sanitation regulations.

According to Mohammed, the offenders contravened Section 9(2) of the Nasarawa State Environmental Sanitation Law and were prosecuted before mobile courts in their respective local government areas.

"The government will no longer tolerate practices that endanger public health because the state sanitation law makes it mandatory for every household to have a functional toilet.

"Open defecation is not only unhealthy, but it is also illegal. Today, we apprehended 42 persons whose homes were found without any form of toilet facility," he said.

Mohammed explained that the enforcement exercise followed months of public sensitisation campaigns encouraging residents to install basic sanitation facilities in their homes.

He noted that inadequate toilet facilities contribute significantly to the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea, particularly during the rainy season.

"When people defecate openly, rainwater washes the waste into water sources and drainage channels. Children and other vulnerable groups suffer the most. Government cannot fold its arms," he added.

The prosecution officer reaffirmed the state's commitment to achieving Open Defecation-Free (ODF) status by 2028, in line with the National Roadmap on Sanitation.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Princess Margaret Elayo, who was represented by the General Manager of the Nasarawa State Environmental Protection Agency (NASEPA), Illiya Yusuf-Adeka, expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance recorded during the sanitation exercise.

She attributed the success of the operation to the collaboration of security agencies, traditional rulers, the media and inspection teams deployed across the state.

The commissioner urged residents to sustain proper sanitation practices to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks and improve public health.

"If the environment is kept clean, it will guard against possible outbreaks of diseases and ensure healthier living for the people," she said.