A Magistrate Court in Kano has sentenced Inuwa Ayuba to two months in prison for illegally cutting down seven neem trees in Sarauniya village, Dawakin Tofa LGA.
Prosecution counsel Bahijja Aliyu stated that a monitoring team from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change acted on a tip-off about the illegal felling of neem trees in Sarauniya village, violating Kano State’s environmental laws and regulations.
The Ministry officials quickly apprehended the culprit and gathered all the relevant evidence, which was presented before the court through the prosecution Counsel, Bahijjah Aliyu.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Enlightenment, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ismail Gwammaja, a copy of which was made available to journalists on Saturday.
“You recall that the Kano State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has secured Environmental, Forestry and Pollution Control laws which prevented illegal cutting down of trees without obtaining permission from the relevant authorities, as well as pollution issues and open defecation in the state,” the statement partly read.
The court convicted the defendant based on the evidence presented, sentencing him to a fine or two months in prison and ordering him to plant 14 neem trees as part of the penalty.
