The Federal Government says it is actively pursuing the establishment of a tribunal to prosecute individuals who commit environmental crimes nationwide.
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, made this announcement during a meeting with stakeholders on Thursday in Abuja to mark World Environment Day, celebrated each year on June 5th.
Lawal, who was concerned about the prevalence of unsustainable environmental practices in the country, identified the challenges as stemming from failures in the enforcement of current environmental regulations.
He said, “Currently, because we are not being strict you discovered that environmental cases are not being treated the way they should be.
“So, we are working hard and very soon the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) will come out with laws to protect our environment, forest and our local environment against pollution.
“So, we are going to establish a tribunal that will try environmental crime very quickly so we need AGF’s support.
“I urge the stakeholders to help us in enforcing existing environmental laws we are going to try to improve on the laws protecting our environment.’