Musa Ibrahim, Nasarawa state commissioner for environment and natural resources, on Saturday in Lafia, said the state government had partnered religious and traditional leaders to stave off the outbreak of cholera in its rural communities.

The commissioner said it was important that residents in the state “cooperate more with the government to ensure that the state is clean in their best interest. If the environment is kept clean, it will guard against possible outbreak of any disease,” Mr Ibrahim said.

He also said that the government in collaboration with the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project has awarded contracts of more than N1.5 billion for the control of gully erosion in Doma, Lafia, Keffi, Toto, and Nasarawa local government areas.

Meanwhile, a mobile court handling environmental-related cases, on Saturday, prosecuted 32 persons for violating state environmental sanitation laws.

The prosecutor, Abubakar Mohammed, who is also a Chief Environment Officer, told the court that the suspects transacted private businesses during the August monthly sanitation exercise in the state, and urged that they be sanctioned to serve as deterrent to others.

The judge, Abdullahi Lande, convicted and sentenced them to six months imprisonment each with option of fine of between N5,000 and N50,000.