2 landlords goes to jail in Ekiti for building house without toilets and bathrooms

An Ikole Magistrates’ Court in Ekiti State, on Thursday, sentenced two landlords, Omoniyi Ajayi and Ola Olowolafe, to five and seven months jail term respectively for violating environmental sanitation laws.

The Magistrate, Mrs A.S. Okunbule, however, gave the landlords option of N5,500 and N7,000 fines respectively.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the convicts first appeared in court on August 25 on charges bordering on failure to provide toilets, indiscriminate defecation, among others.

Mr Tunde Famuyisan, prosecuting officer, Environmental Health and Sanitation, Ikole Local Government, said the landlords owned houses located at No.101, Oke-Owa Street and No. 2, Ilado Street, Odo Ayedun, Ekiti, respectively.

Famuyisan said that environmental officers who went on their routine inspection on houses on August 20 observed that the two buildings were in unhygienic conditions.

“Their houses lacked basic facilities like toilets, bathrooms and kitchens in spite of our earlier warning to these landlords to provide them.

"In addition, faeces were seen littering the compounds," he said.                     

He said that the offences were punishable under sections 11, 5, 32 and 43 of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Law of Ekiti State.

The two convicts, who had earlier pleaded not guilty on their first appearance in court, however, changed their plea to guilty and prayed the court for leniency.