Seven persons have been remanded into prison custody by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Sanitation Court after failing to pay a GH¢600 fine imposed on them for engaging in open defecation in parts of the capital.
The offenders, identified as Samuel Aryeequaye, Evans Derry, Kwesi Milla, Richard Quintin Coffie, Seidu Aminu, Awuaaba Michael, and Quarcoo Ernest, were convicted under the Assembly’s sanitation by-laws but could not settle the financial penalty of 50 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢600.
An eighth offender, Raphael Adjetey, who was convicted for the same offence, avoided imprisonment after paying the fine.
The arrests were carried out during a night-time sanitation enforcement exercise by Environmental Health Officers of the AMA, led by the Head of the Environmental Health Department, Madam Florence Kuukyi.
The operation targeted areas including Bubuashie, Jamestown, and Chorkor, where open defecation remains a persistent sanitation challenge.
Head of Public Affairs at the AMA, Gilbert Nii Ankrah, explained that the enforcement forms part of intensified efforts by the Assembly to clamp down on unsanitary practices and improve environmental cleanliness in the metropolis.
He noted that the AMA has begun 24-hour sanitation monitoring to ensure compliance with public health regulations.
According to him, Environmental Health Officers have been deployed to conduct both day and night patrols to identify and prosecute offenders, stressing that the Assembly remains committed to enforcing sanitation by-laws without exception.
The AMA has repeatedly warned that open defecation poses serious health risks, contributes to environmental pollution, and undermines efforts to maintain a clean and healthy city.
Officials say the latest remand serves as a strong deterrent and a reminder that offenders who fail to comply with sanitation laws will face legal consequences.
