A Magistrate Court in Kano has sentenced five individuals to one month in prison for allowing their goats to roam freely, damaging ornamental plants maintained by the state government along Lodge Road and Race Course Road.
The defendants, led by Usman Abdullahi, were prosecuted by the Kano State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change under Section 7(e) of the Kano State Public Health Law, 2019. The law prohibits actions that degrade public infrastructure or constitute environmental nuisance.
PRIME TIME NEWS reports that the case attracted public attention weeks earlier after officials from the ministry apprehended 17 goats grazing on government-maintained greenery.
The animals were taken into police custody as part of the ministry’s ongoing campaign to protect urban beautification projects from environmental degradation.
During the trial, prosecution counsel, Barrister Bahijjah Aliyu, told the court that the goats belonged to the five defendants and had caused substantial damage to plants intended to improve air quality and enhance the city’s aesthetics.
The court found the defendants guilty and gave them the option of paying a ₦25,000 fine each as an alternative to the one-month jail term. They were also ordered to collectively pay ₦100,000 as compensation for the damages caused.
Following the judgment, the Ministry of Environment reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing environmental regulations and urged residents to rear animals responsibly and report similar violations.