(The residents. Photo by BBC News)
A man in Kano, northern Nigeria, has been sentenced to two weeks in prison after neighbours complained that he was storing bags of human faeces outside his home, creating an unbearable stench in the area.
Mohammed Saidu was brought before the court after residents reported the issue to environmental officials.
Magistrate Halima Wali sentenced him to 14 days in detention and imposed a fine of 100,000 naira, describing his conduct as highly inconsiderate and a genuine threat to the health of those living nearby.
Saidu, who works emptying septic tanks, is believed to have been storing and selling the waste to farmers for use as fertiliser a practice reportedly common in the region, though rarely discussed openly.
According to local chief Musa Abdullahi, the man had accumulated close to 50 bags of waste by the time the first complaint reached him.
Residents said the smell had made it nearly impossible to enjoy their homes, with one neighbour, Samaila Inuwa, explaining that they had initially tried to resolve the issue privately by speaking directly with Saidu, but the practice continued regardless.
In court, Saidu pleaded guilty to endangering public health. Before delivering her ruling, Magistrate Wali personally visited the property to inspect the waste before ordering him to clear the premises entirely and pledge never to repeat the offence.
Inuwa said the neighbourhood’s quality of life had already noticeably improved since the case went to court, with the foul odour finally gone.
Chief Abdullahi noted that he had previously intervened when the practice first began, prompting Saidu to temporarily stop, but he was unaware that it had resumed until residents this time chose to report the matter directly to authorities rather than coming to him first.
Abdullahi, whose own home was far enough away to be unaffected by the smell, said his goal remained ensuring peaceful coexistence in the area and that he intended to mediate further conversations between Saidu and his neighbours once his sentence is served.