13 Persons Jailed For Open Defecation Due To Absence Of Public Toilets

MICHAEL AKINOLA 

The Lagos State Magistrates Court sitting in Bolade Oshodi, on Monday, convicted 13 of those arrested earlier for engaging in open defecation and urination at Agege and Alimosho Areas in Lagos State. 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the convicts included Friday Samuel(49), Sulaimon Olalekan(54),Idris Jimoh(45), Alao Babatunde(54), Chinonso Dominic(21), Akeem Suraju(42), Lawal Idris(29), and Oluwatobi Adebayo(30).
Others include Ismaila Adeyemi(35), Murtala Jamilu(20), Samson Memudia(54), Jamilu Abdullahi(29), and Ganiyu Akeem(55).

They were arraigned before the Court, they pleaded guilty and were sentenced to three months imprisonment each and were remanded in custody at the correctional center where they will serve their prison term.

A senior lawyer, and former Chairman of the Ikorodu branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bayo Akinlade, has  reacted to the sentence handed down by an Environmental Court, Oshodi, to 13 persons convicted for urinating and defecating in public.

Barr. Akinlade, who doubles as the founder, Duty Solicitors Network (DSN), condemned the sentence handed down by the court.

“Do we really believe that three months in an already overcrowded prison is the solution? With all the money the Government is spending on non-custodial sentencing measures, one would think it’s not all talk;
Why can’t Lagos State Government build enough public toilets, require eateries, filling stations and all Government offices to allow people to use their toilet facilities to deter such behaviours? Then you can prosecute people when they violate the laws because they won’t have an excuse to relieve themselves wherever they can.”

“Even in most of our courts, toilet facilities for staff, litigants and lawyers are grossly inadequate and poorly managed. This move by the Lagos State Government to enforce a law to punish its citizens when no adequate provision is made for citizens not to violate such law is totally irresponsible and unacceptable.”

“Lagos is better than this! Politicians can do better! We voted for this Government because we had some confidence that they mean well. But it appears that citizens are just being used like paper in ballot boxes…thrown away after the Election is over.”

“A Government that cannot even provide enough toilets within its own environment is prosecuting and sending people to prison for carrying out a necessary body function is the lowest low and simply bad and Irresponsible Governance”, he stated.