83 arrested in Abia over environmental offense

Eighty-three persons were on Saturday, arrested in different parts of Umuahia, Abia State for contravening Abia State environmental sanitation laws.

The defaulters were arrested by the Task Force team of the Abia State government during the September edition of the monthly clean.

Some of the defaulters were picked up at their business premises during the clean-up hours while others were arrested on the streets.

They were brought to a mobile Court sitting at the Abia State High Court premises in Umuahia, Presided over by Onyinyechi Chinenye Ibekwe, a Lawyer.

Speaking to the press after the clean-up exercise, Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna who was represented by a Director in charge of the Ministry, Ukachukwu Udochukwu Joseph, expressed dismay at the rate at which some State transporters flout the Abia State sanitation but praised Umuahia residents for their compliance in this month’s exercise.

Also speaking after the exercise, the Chairman of the Abia State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Kalu Mba Nwoke berated security officers in Abia State for diverting arrested defaulters into their own stations instead of handing them to the Mobile Court for proper prosecution.

He regretted that the security personnel allegedly forced the arrested defaulters to pay money to them.

According to the Abia Lawmaker, monies generated from defaulters should be paid into the state coffers to increase Abia State’s Internally Generated Revenue and not into the private pockets of security personnel.

Nwoke vowed to bring up the corrupt practices of the security personnel on the floor of the House for appropriate actions.