A court in northern Nigeria has sentenced a man to two weeks in prison after neighbours complained that he had been storing dozens of bags of human faeces outside his home, creating a stench they said made daily life unbearable.
Mohammed Saidu was arraigned in Kano after residents alerted environmental officials to the offensive smell coming from his property.
Magistrate Halima Wali ordered that he be detained for 14 days and fined 100,000 naira, describing his conduct as highly inconsiderate and a danger to public health.
Saidu, who works emptying septic tanks, is believed to have been collecting the waste to sell to farmers for use as fertiliser, a practice common in parts of the region but seldom discussed openly.
“I think he had close to 50 bags of faeces the first time the complaint reached me,” local chief Musa Abdullahi told the BBC.
Residents said the odour had become so severe that they could no longer enjoy staying in their homes.
One of the complainants, Samaila Inuwa, said neighbours initially tried to settle the issue without involving authorities.
“We spoke to him about it but he didn’t stop,” Inuwa said.
During court proceedings, Saidu pleaded guilty to a charge of endangering public health. Before delivering her judgment, Magistrate Wali personally inspected the property to confirm the allegations.
She ordered Saidu to remove all the waste from the premises and directed him not to repeat the offence.
According to Inuwa, conditions in the neighbourhood have improved significantly since the matter was taken to court.
“Finally, our neighbourhood is enjoyable once more without any bad smell,” he said.
Abdullahi said he had previously intervened when Saidu first began storing the waste.
“When he first started it, I spoke to him about it and he packed them out [removed them] and stopped,” he said. “I did not know when he resumed.”
He added that residents bypassed him on this occasion and reported the matter directly to authorities.
Although his own house was located far enough away to avoid the smell, Abdullahi said he understood the frustrations of affected residents.
“My mission is for everybody in this area to live in peace,” he said. “When he is released, we will talk to him and the neighbours again.”
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