More than 41 persons were arrested and prosecuted for various environmental offences during the monthly sanitation exercise by mobile courts in Ilorin, Kwara State, recently.

Speaking with environmental stakeholders after the exercise, the state Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Samuel Olaseinde Bamisaye, said the number of people arrested was alarming in spite of the effort of the state government on the exercise.

He also decried the lackadaisical attitude of the people to a healthier environment and wondered why people expected the government to force them to clean up their environment, urging them to imbibe the spirit of cleanliness.

The commissioner also charged them to always maintain clean environment and abide by all the environment laws, adding that clean environment contributes to richness.

He, however, called on the people of the state to complement the efforts of the government with a view to having a conducive atmosphere.

Also speaking, the Director of Environment of the ministry, Alhaji Sikiru Olanipekun, cautioned the people against disposing refuse in the drainage during the rains, saying they should make use of the Roro Bins provided for the same purpose by the state government.