Nasarawa State government has arrested 42 residents for living in houses without toilet facilities, as part of efforts to curb open defecation and improve environmental sanitation across the state.

Abubakar Mohammed, chief prosecution officer at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, disclosed this while briefing journalists after the June monthly environmental sanitation exercise on Saturday in Lafia.

Mr Mohammed said the arrests were made during a joint enforcement operation by officials of the ministry and security agencies.

He said that the operation also led to the arrest of 88 other persons across the state’s 13 local government areas for engaging in business activities during the sanitation exercise, in violation of the state’s environmental sanitation law.

According to him, the offenders contravened Section 9(2) of the Nasarawa State Environmental Sanitation Law.

He said all the suspects were prosecuted by mobile courts in their respective local government areas to serve as a deterrent to others.

“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.

Mr Mohammed explained that the enforcement exercise followed sustained public sensitisation campaigns urging residents to provide basic sanitation facilities in their homes.

He noted that the absence of toilets in many households contributed to the spread of water-borne 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 said.

The prosecution officer reaffirmed the state’s commitment to achieving open defecation-free status by 2028 in line with the National Roadmap on Sanitation.

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

She attributed the success of the sanitation exercise to the support of security agencies, traditional rulers, the media and inspection teams of the ministry.

The commissioner urged residents to sustain proper environmental sanitation to prevent disease outbreaks and promote healthy living.

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

 (NAN)