The Abia State House of Assembly has condemned the actions of police officers from the Central Police Station (CPS) Umuahia, accusing them of misconduct during the state’s monthly sanitation exercise.
Instead of working in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment to enforce compliance, the officers allegedly arrested defaulters independently, transporting them to the station and demanding bail payments.
Addressing journalists after monitoring the exercise in Umuahia, Mba Nwoko, Chairman of the House Committee on Environment and member representing Ohafia South State Constituency in the House of Assembly, expressed concerns. He alleged that the police officers hired vehicles to arrest defaulters, extorting fees ranging from N10,000 to N25,000 from those arrested.
Nwoko described the development as a violation of the Environmental Sanitation Law. He called on the state governor to intervene and ensure that relevant authorities take appropriate action.
“This attitude of the Nigerian police CPS division is not in line with the law,” Nwoko stated. “This money for any defaulter is supposed to be generated and paid into the government coffers, but they are collecting that money for their personal use.”
He further added, “We are supposed to work in synergy with them on any day of environmental sanitation, whereby they will mobilize their men to join the members from the ministries and other agencies to enforce the environmental exercise, but instead of doing that, they choose to be arresting and collecting money from them, which is not good.”
Nwoko vowed to raise the issue during the next plenary session of the State Assembly, with the intention of enacting legislative measures to prevent future occurrences. He also revealed plans to establish a mobile sanitation court at Orie Ugba Market to try violators of the sanitation law.
The Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna, represented by Director, Udechukwu Ukachukwu, also spoke on the matter. He appealed to transport unions from neighboring states to restrict movements during the sanitation exercise, emphasizing that the exercise is conducted nationwide.
“I want to sound it as a note,” Ukachukwu said. “This cleanup exercise has entered into the fabric of [the] Nigerian nation. Every other state in Nigeria knows that Abia State carries out our own cleanup on the last Saturday of every month.”
He continued, “Therefore, these other people coming from Akwa Ibom, coming from nearby states where cleanup is going on, is uncalled for. I want to advise, whenever they come into Abia State, let them wait somewhere until the cleanup is over.”
NewsNGR reports that 83 defaulters were arrested and arraigned before the Environmental Sanitation Court.