The Kwara State Commissioner for Environment, Hajia Nafisat Musa Buge, has disclosed that the state government arrested about 75 environmental offenders within a week.

The commissioner made this known while inspecting waste collectors’ operational vehicles to ascertain their efficiency and durability. According to a statement by the ministry’s press secretary, Kamaldeen Aliagan, Buge said: “The government will not treat the indiscriminate dumping of refuse with kid gloves. She stressed that the government can not relinquish its civic responsibilities and allow epidemics to take over the state. We as a government are doing our best to eradicate indiscriminate dumping of refuse to sustain a healthy environment across the state.”Buge enjoined waste consultants to ensure their vehicles were roadworthy to serve residents within the Ilorin metropolis efficiently.

She reiterated Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s commitment to eradicate indiscriminate refuse dumping and sustain a clean and safe environment in the state.

The commissioner also hinted that “an Ilorin Magistrate’s Court had on Saturday sentenced 14 offenders to a three-month jail term for violating the state Environmental Law.

She said this is an indication that the government is resolute about ending the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in Kwara State.She expressed satisfaction at the level of compliance across the metropolis’s nooks and crannies and implored the public to always abide by the state’s sanitation laws.

In his remark, the Chairman of the Association of Waste Consultants, Alhaji Zakariyahu Tahir, commended the commissioner for taking bold steps to stop indiscriminate refuse dumping and sustain a clean and safe environment for healthy living.

He reassured the state government of his association’s ongoing support in its efforts to enforce environmental laws and sustain a hygienic environment in the state.