A Magistrate Court in Kano has sentenced five persons to one month imprisonment for allowing their goats to roam freely and destroyed ornamental plants maintained by the state government along Lodge Road and Race Course Road.
The convicts, led by Usman Abdullahi, were prosecuted by the Kano State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change under Section 7(e) of the Kano State Public Health Law, 2019, which prohibits actions that degrade public infrastructure or constitute environmental nuisance.
LEADERSHIP reports that the case drew public attention weeks earlier when officials of the Ministry arrested seventeen (17) goats found grazing on the government’s carefully nurtured greenery.
The goats were taken into police custody as part of an ongoing campaign to protect urban beautification projects from environmental abuse.
During court proceedings, prosecution counsel Barrister Bahijjah Aliyu said the goats belonged to the five defendants and had caused significant damage to plants meant to improve air quality and enhance the city’s aesthetics.
The court found the defendants guilty and gave them the option of paying a ₦25,000 fine each in lieu of the one-month jail term.
They were also ordered to jointly pay ₦100,000 in compensation for the damages.
Following the ruling, the Ministry of Environment reiterated its commitment to enforcing environmental laws and called on residents to rear animals responsibly and report similar violations.
