The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Sanitation Court has remanded seven individuals into prison custody for engaging in open defecation in parts of the capital after they failed to pay a court-imposed fine of 50 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢600.
According to a post shared on Facebook by AMA, the seven offenders — Samuel Aryeequaye, Evans Derry, Kwesi Milla, Richard Quintin Coffie, Seidu Aminu, Awuaaba Michael and Quarcoo Ernest — were convicted for breaching the Assembly’s sanitation by-laws. Having failed to settle the fines, they were subsequently remanded.
An eighth offender, Raphael Adjetey, who was convicted for the same offence, avoided custodial sentencing after paying the stipulated fine.
The convictions follow a special night-time operation conducted by Environmental Health Officers of the AMA.
The exercise was led by the Head of the Environmental Health Department, Madam Florence Kuukyi, as part of renewed efforts to clamp down on unsanitary practices within the metropolis.
Speaking after the court proceedings, the Head of Public Affairs at the AMA, Mr Gilbert Nii Ankrah, confirmed that the offenders were apprehended during targeted enforcement operations in Bubuashie, Jamestown and Chorkor — communities identified as sanitation hotspots.
According to Mr Ankrah, the Assembly has commenced 24-hour enforcement operations to ensure strict compliance with sanitation regulations.
He explained that Environmental Health Officers have intensified both daytime and night-time monitoring across the city in a bid to curb public nuisance and safeguard public health.
He urged residents to desist from open defecation and to make use of approved sanitary facilities, warning that the Assembly would continue to arrest and prosecute offenders who flout sanitation regulations.
The AMA has in recent months stepped up enforcement measures as part of broader efforts to improve environmental cleanliness and reduce health risks associated with poor sanitation in the capital. Authorities say sustained public cooperation will be critical in achieving lasting improvements in urban sanitation standards.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com