Arsonists, burglars, others risk N2m fine, five years jail in Oyo

Arsonists, burglars or any other persons found guilty of destroying or setting any public property in any part of Oyo State on fire is liable to a fine of N2 million, according to reports.

This development is sequel to a new bill passed by the Oyo State House of Assembly.

The bill was passed into law by the members of the state House of Assembly during the plenary on Tuesday in Ibadan.

Chairman, House Committee on Works and Transportation, Kehinde Olatunde, introduced the bill. He presented the joint committee report prior to the passage of the bill into law.

The bill, titled “Destruction of Public Property (Prohibition) Bill, 2022”, stipulates that any person who destroys, mutilates or damages any public property commits an offence and is liable to conviction of a fine equivalent to the value of such property.

The law lists public property to include any installation, streetlight, traffic light, vehicle, or public maintained amenities, whether movable or immovable, owned or in the control of the state.

The new law also provided that authorities over public properties are shared among the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Water Corporation of Oyo State, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

It further provided that High Court has the jurisdiction to prosecute the offenders.

It also says that a person who, while acting alone or in concert with other persons, sets fire to a public property commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term of five years or a fine equivalent to the value of the property or both.

The law says that “A person who, while acting alone or in concert with other people, conducts himself in a manner likely to cause destruction, mutilation or damage to any public property commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 and to an additional fine of N1,000 for every day in which the fine remains unpaid.

“A person who, while acting alone or in concert with other persons performs or does any act capable of exposing any public property to theft or burglary commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N2 million and to an additional fine of N1,000 for every day in which the fine remains unpaid”.