A total of 108 persons were on Saturday arrested in different parts of Umuahia and brought before the Abia State Mobile Environmental Court for trading and loitering during the October edition of the state’s monthly clean-up exercise.
They were apprehended by a task force deployed by the Abia State Ministry of Environment.
Out of the 108 defaulters, 10 persons were discharged by the court for providing evidence as students, 2 persons were freed due to health conditions, while 96 others were convicted and fined by the mobile court presided over by Magistrate Chinenye Ibekwe.
Speaking after monitoring the exercise, the Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, said maintaining a clean environment remains one of Governor Alex Otti’s key strategies to protect Abia residents from disease outbreaks.
He further disclosed that house-to-house sanitary inspectors have been deployed by the state government to ensure that homes and business premises are kept free of pollution.
Ogbonna commended the Nigerian Army for participating in the clean-up of the Isi Gate axis of Umuahia through its civic activities, noting that their involvement gave the town a more sparkling outlook.
The commissioner also announced plans to establish a mobile court at the Orie Ugba Market in Umuahia North to prosecute errant traders who violate Abia State’s basic environmental laws within the market.
