5 Jailed for Illegal Sewage Connection
FIVE persons, Tony Abaku, Ohilebo Mike, Isah Mamma, Musa Momodu and Adamu Muhammed, were yesterday sentenced to one month imprisonment by an Abuja mobile court for illegally connecting a sewage line.
The prosecutor, Bar. Eze O. Eze had earlier informed the court that the accused persons were arrested by the officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) while illegally connecting a property at Utako district to the central sewage line, an offence punishable under Section 36 subsection 3 of the AEPB Act number 10 of 1997.
The prosecutor stated further that the accused persons engaged in the connection without getting approval from the board, informing that the action is dangerous because they can damage both sewage and water lines.
The accused persons pleaded guilty to the charge while their counsel begged the court to temper justice with mercy, saying they were deceived by one engineer who claimed that they have gotten approval from the AEPB.
The prosecutor urged the court to try the accused summarily under section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code Law.
Magistrate Aminu Abdullahi sentenced each of the accused persons to one month imprisonment or to pay N6, 000 as fine.
Daily Trust Wednesday, October, 20th 2010,
Page 48
By Usman A. Bello & Kudirat B. Salaudeen
