The Kwara Government on Thursday in Ilorin inaugurated a new environmental task force to ensure a clean and healthy environment that would be habitable for all people of the state.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Malam Shehu Ndanusa, while inaugurating the task force said it would be going round to enforce compliance with environmental laws across the state.

“You will recall that the Ministry has taken sensitisation to traditional rulers, marketers and other stakeholders in the state.This was out of the need to inform their subjects and others to adhere strictly to the state environmental laws or face the full wrath of the law.

“We also informed the public that starting from the first week of February, any marketer caught displaying goods on the pedestrian paths, medians and other areas and thereby inhibit free movement will be sanctioned.”

The commissioner also warned that indiscriminate dumping of refuse on pedestrian paths, medians and any other unapproved dump sites would attract sanctions.

He listed such sanction as a fine of N50,000 for individuals and N200,000 for corporate organisations or imprisonment.

“I urge environmental violators to desist, because anybody caught selling goods on pedestrian or road medians or dropping refuse indiscriminately, deforestation and charcoal production will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly,” Ndanusa warned.

He urged the newly-inaugurated task force officers to exhibit high level of commitment to the task ahead, to ensure sanity in the environment and reduce deforestation across the state.

Earlier, the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Hajia Afusat Ibrahim, had commended the Commissioner's initiative in constituting the task force to complement efforts of the Ministry to ensure a clean and healthy environment.

The task force has Environmental Health and Forestry officials, Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officers, among others.