Court fines tenants, landlady for contravening environmental law

By Edith Igbokwe

A customary court sitting in Oshodi-Isolo LGA has fined house owners and their tenants for contravening laws guiding the maintenance of their building environments.

The Local Government Environmental Health Practice Regulation Body had dragged them to the court after refusing to heed the warning earlier served them.

The affected houses involved in the case are houses No10, 14 and 19, Alasia coumpound, Ladipo Oshodi.

The offence they were charged for include failure to keep the toilet/ bathroom clean, broken roofing sheet, ill graded domestic drain retaining waste water as well as failure to comply with the previous notice served by the regulatory body and other related issues.

While giving the judgement, the presiding Court President, Mrs. Adebisi Oladitan, fined the guilty tenants of House No 14, who appeared in court the sum of N2,000 each while those who refused to appear in the court were asked to pay N3,000 fine each.

She further instructed that the tenants should jointly ensure that the toilets/ bathrooms and the drainages are kept clean one week after the court’s inspection.

Residents of number House No 10 were told to evacuate the loads on the passage entrance and backyard.

They were also told to inform their landlord to appear in court at the next adjourned date – Tuesday, October 20, 2020 as the court stated that failure to comply would attract the sealing up of the house which may make the tenants face the risk of losing their accommodations.

Again, the court ordered the landlady of House No 19 to renovate the broken toilet slab, leaking kitchen roof and all the needful before Thursday, December 17, 2020, the date given for inspection.